702 (pronounced "seven-oh-two") is an American musical

girl group A girl group is a music act featuring two or more women in music, female singers who generally vocal harmony, harmonize together. The term "girl group" is also used in a narrower sense in the United States to denote the wave of American female p ...

whose most notable line-up consisted of Misha Grinstead, Irish Grinstead, and Meelah Williams. The group began their musical career as Sweeter than Sugar, formed in 1993 in

Las Vegas Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

. After years of limited success, the original quartet comprising Misha Grinstead, Irish Grinstead, Orish Grinstead, and Amelia Cruz were signed in 1995 to

Biv 10 Records Biv 10 Records was founded by Michael Bivins in 1992, through a joint venture with Motown Records. History In the early 1990s, Bivins’ Biv Entertainment management firm scored multiple successes with developing new acts (Boyz II Men, Another Bad ...

as 702. The group first had mainstream success following the release of their 1996 single "

Steelo "Steelo" is a song recorded by American group 702 for their first studio album ''No Doubt'' (1996). It was written and produced Chad Elliott, Missy Elliott, and George Pearson. The song contains a prominent sample from the Police's song "Voices I ...

". Spawning from their debut studio album ''

No Doubt No Doubt is an American rock band formed in Anaheim, California in 1986. For most of its career, the band has consisted of vocalist and founding member Gwen Stefani, guitarist Tom Dumont, bassist Tony Kanal and drummer Adrian Young. Keyboar ...

'' (1996), the song peaked within the top ten of the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, while the album received

gold Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...

certification by the

Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

(RIAA). Their self-titled second album (1999) became their best-selling release, and contained the top-five single " Where My Girls At?".702 Ready For ‘Star’-dom
Billboard. Retrieved on April 5, 2024 Despite critical and commercial success, the group experienced lineup changes with Orish and Cruz being replaced by Meelah Williams and

Tiffany Villarreal Tiffany Villarreal is an American Contemporary R&B, R&B singer from San Antonio, Texas. Initially a member of the girl group 702 (group), 702, she provided backing vocals on Baby Bash's 2004 single "The Smokin' Nephew, Shorty DooWop". She did ...

, respectively. In mid-1996, Villarreal quit after a few months, leaving the group as a trio. In 2001, Cree Lemore replaced Williams after her departure from the group. This lineup released a single "Pootie Tangin'" before Lemore left and Williams re-joined the group. The group released their final album ''

Star A star is a luminous spheroid of plasma (physics), plasma held together by Self-gravitation, self-gravity. The List of nearest stars and brown dwarfs, nearest star to Earth is the Sun. Many other stars are visible to the naked eye at night sk ...

'' in 2003 and disbanded in 2006. The group reunited at

2017 Soul Train Music Awards The 2017 Soul Train Music Awards took place on November 5, 2017, at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, and aired on BET Her and BET on November 26, 2017. American singer and songwriter Toni Braxton was honored with the Legend Award for her ...

.Get It Together! 702 Says They're Reuniting For A Tour
BET. Retrieved on April 6, 2024 702 has sold over 4 million records as of 2006.

History

1993–1996: Early beginnings and Sweeter than Sugar

LeMisha Grinstead wanted to pursue a solo career and with the support of her parents, she began performing in local competitions and churches. After performing in the lobby of

Caesars Palace Caesars Palace is a luxury hotel and casino in Paradise, Nevada, United States. The hotel is situated on the west side of the Las Vegas Strip between Bellagio and The Mirage. It is one of Las Vegas's largest and best known landmarks. Caesar ...

, she attracted the attention of actor/comedian

Sinbad Sinbad the Sailor (; or Sindbad) is a fictional mariner and the hero of a story-cycle. He is described as hailing from Baghdad during the early Abbasid Caliphate (8th and 9th centuries A.D.). In the course of seven voyages throughout the sea ...

. Sinbad approached her parents with an opportunity in music, her parents encouraged their twin daughters Irish and Orish to perform alongside their sister LeMisha as a trio. Sinbad entered the quartet into a music competition in

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

under the group name Sweeter than Sugar. Although they finished second in the competition,

Michael Bivins Michael Lamont Bivins (born August 10, 1968) is an American singer, rapper, manager, and producer, and a founding member of New Edition and Bell Biv DeVoe. Biography Bivins was born and still lives in Boston. He and his wife, Teasha, have four ...

agreed to work with the group. They also added singer Amelia Cruz to the lineup. After signing the group to his record label

, Bivins renamed the group "702", after the area code for Las Vegas. In November 1994, 702 debuted on Subway's first single "

This Lil' Game We Play "This Lil' Game We Play" is the lead single released from Subway's only album, '' Good Times''. The song featured the female R&B group 702 and was produced and written by Gerald Levert and Edwin "Tony" Nicholas. Released late in 1994, by early ...

". The single peaked at number 15 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and number 4 on the

Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by '' Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 ...

chart. It eventually became certified

, selling over 500,000 copies in the United States. LeMisha, who sang lead vocals on the song, was the only one to go on tour with Subway in 1995. In 1995, 702 began recording their first album. During the recording of the album, Bivins dismissed Orish Grinstead and Amelia Cruz from the group because of his lack of support in their vocal abilities. They were replaced by classmates Meelah Williams (born Kameelah Williams) and

. Six months after joining the group, Villarreal left the group during the recording of the first album, leaving 702 to continue as a trio.

1996–1998: Rise to fame

702 released their first album ''

'' in October 1996, which peaked at number eighty-two on the ''Billboard'' 200 and number twenty-four on the ''Billboard''

Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a music chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine that ranks R&B and hip-hop albums based on sales in the United States and is compiled by Luminate. The chart debuted as Hot R&B LPs in the issue dated January 30, ...

chart. It managed to sell over half of a million copies in the United States, earning a gold certification by the

(RIAA). The album's singles "

" and " Get It Together" reached the top twenty on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by '' Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 ...

chart, and both singles were certified gold by the RIAA. In 1997, 702 became the opening act for

New Edition New Edition is an American Contemporary R&B, R&B/Pop music, pop group from the Roxbury, Boston, Roxbury neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, formed in 1978 by singer/rapper Bobby Brown. Their name is taken to mean a new edition of the Jackson ...

's "Home Again Tour". In the same year, ''No Doubt'' won a Lady of Soul Award for "Best R&B/Soul Album, Group, Band, or Duo" in 1997. "Get It Together" was nominated for "Best R&B/Soul Single, Solo" and "Best R&B/Soul Song of the Year", while the group was nominated for "Best R&B/Soul or Rap New Artist". A remix of "Steelo" became the theme song to the

Nickelodeon Nickelodeon (nicknamed Nick) is an American pay television channel and the flagship property of the Nickelodeon Group, a sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on April 1, 1979, as the first ca ...

television show ''

Cousin Skeeter ''Cousin Skeeter'' is an American sitcom, that originally aired on Nickelodeon from 1998 to 2002. It starred Robert Ri'chard as Bobby, a young boy whose life is changed when his strange cousin, Skeeter, comes to stay with his family. With Skeet ...

'' in 1998. In the same year, 702 made cameo appearances in the sitcoms '' Sister, Sister'' and ''

Moesha ''Moesha'' (, ) is an American television sitcom that aired on UPN from January 23, 1996, to May 14, 2001. The series stars Contemporary R&B, R&B singer Brandy Norwood, Brandy as Moesha Denise Mitchell, an African-American teenager living with ...

''.702 Leaps Up Charts With "Mature" Single
MTV. Retrieved on April 10, 2024 In March 1998,

Missy Elliott Melissa Arnette "Missy" Elliott (born July 1, 1971), also known as Misdemeanor, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. She began her musical career as a member of the Contemporary R&B, R&B girl group 4 All the Sistas Arou ...

released a single " Beep Me 911" which featured 702. The song charted in the top twenty on the UK Singles chart.

1999–2002: Breakthrough and lineup changes

In early 1999, the group performed the national anthem for the

Women's National Basketball Association The Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) is a women's professional basketball league in the United States. The league comprises 13 teams (scheduled to expand to 15 in 2026). The WNBA is headquartered in Midtown Manhattan. The WNBA w ...

. In June 1999, they released their self-titled second album, which peaked in the top forty on the Billboard charts and became certified platinum. The album's first single " Where My Girls At?" charted in the top-five on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and became certified gold. In mid-1999, 702 toured as the opening act of

Brandy Brandy is a liquor produced by distilling wine. Brandy generally contains 35–60% alcohol by volume (70–120 US proof) and is typically consumed as an after-dinner digestif. Some brandies are aged in wooden casks. Others are coloured ...

's "

Never Say Never World Tour The Never Say Never World Tour was the first concert tour by American R&B singer Brandy to support her second studio album, '' Never Say Never''. The tour became Norwood's first world tour, reaching North America, Asia, and Europe. The tour beg ...

". During the tour, LeMisha went on a two-month maternity leave and later gave birth to her son

Tony Fields II Tony Fields II (born June 18, 1999) is an American professional football linebacker for the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Arizona Wildcats and West Virginia Mountaineers. Early life F ...

on June 18, 1999.702's LeMisha Returns, But Misses Newborn Son
MTV. Retrieved on April 10, 2024 During her hiatus, Orish briefly re-joined the group. They also made a cameo in the 1999

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasting * Aliw Broadcasting Corporation, Philippine broadcast company * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial American ...

-TV movie ''

Double Platinum Music recording certification is a system of certifying that a music Sound recording and reproduction, recording has shipped, sold, or streamed a certain number of units. The threshold quantity varies by type (such as album, single, music video ...

''. 702 also signed a deal with

Wilhelmina Models Wilhelmina International Inc. (NASDAQ: WHLM), formerly Wilhelmina Models, is a modeling and talent agency headquartered in New York City, New York. The company also has offices in Los Angeles, Miami and London. Founded in 1967 by Wilhelmina C ...

. In 2000, 702 toured as the opening act for

Brian McKnight Brian Kainoa Makoa McKnight Sr. (born Brian Kelly McKnight; June 5, 1969) is an American singer-songwriter, actor, record producer, radio personality, and multi-instrumentalist. An Contemporary R&B, R&B performer, he is recognized for his strong ...

's " Back at One Tour". In 2001, Williams departed from the group and signed a management deal with Todd Russaw's Pedigree MGI Management. During that time, she sang backup and wrote three songs for

Faith Evans Faith Renée Evans (born June 10, 1973) is an American R&B singer, songwriter, and actress. Born in Lakeland, Florida, and raised in New Jersey, she relocated to Los Angeles in 1991 in pursuit of a recording career. Evans initially performed as ...

' album '' Faithfully''. She also sang backup for

's song "

Take Away A take-out (US, Canada, Philippines) or takeaway (UK, Ireland, Commonwealth) is a prepared meal or other food items purchased at a restaurant or fast food outlet with the intent to eat elsewhere. A concept found in many ancient cultures, take ...

", the third single from her 2001 album '' Miss E...So Addictive''. Cree Lemore replaced Williams in the group. 702 released the single "Pootie Tangin" from the

soundtrack A soundtrack is a recorded audio signal accompanying and synchronised to the images of a book, drama, motion picture, radio program, television show, television program, or video game; colloquially, a commercially released soundtrack album of m ...

of the comedy film ''Pootie Tang''. The single received a Soul Train Lady of Soul nomination for "Best R&B/Soul Single, Group, Band or Duo" in 2002. Shortly after the release of the single, Lemore departed from the group and Williams rejoined the group.

2003–2004: ''Star'', disbandment, and aftermath

In March 2003, 702 released their third album ''

''. The album peaked within the top 50 on the Billboard 200. The lead single "Star" peaked at number ninety-eight on the R&B chart. Their follow-up single "I Still Love You" peaked at number 49 on the R&B chart. 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. In 2005, the group officially disbanded to pursue solo careers. Williams continued a career in the music industry as a background vocalist for

and

Macy Gray Natalie Renée McIntyre (born September 6, 1967), known professionally as Macy Gray, is an American contemporary R&B, R&B and soul music, soul singer and actress. She is known for her distinctive raspy voice and a singing style heavily influence ...

. LeMisha began a career as a wedding chapel manager at

Treasure Island Hotel and Casino Treasure Island Hotel and Casino (also known as Treasure Island Las Vegas and "TI") is a pirate-themed hotel and casino located on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada, U.S. It includes 2,885 rooms and a casino. The resort is owned and oper ...

. Irish also pursued a career in accounting. In 2006, the original lineup of 702 (LeMisha, Irish, and Orish Grinstead) appeared on E Sharp's album ''E Sharp presents Vol. I''. In 2007, LeMisha released a song titled "What I Got" on the E Sharp's second album ''E Sharp Presents Vol. II''. On April 20, 2008, original member Orish Grinstead died from autoimmune hepatitis. In 2014, Williams joined the season three cast of reality television show '' R&B Divas: Atlanta'' to bring awareness to children born with

autism Autism, also known as autism spectrum disorder (ASD), is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by differences or difficulties in social communication and interaction, a preference for predictability and routine, sensory processing d ...

2017–present: Reunion

In November 2017, the group reformed and attended the

. In 2018, the group appeared in the music documentary program '' Unsung''. Also in 2018, the group began touring together for the first time in fifteen years. In 2019, the group performed a tribute medley to Xscape at the Black Music Honors. In May 2021, Irish and LeMisha Grinstead were among the lineup of cast members for the BET Network

reality television show Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring ordinary people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 1990s ...

'' BET Presents: The Encore.'' On December 15, 2022, it was announced on the group's Instagram page that Irish Grinstead would be taking a medical leave from the group to address serious health concerns. In May 2023, the group performed "Where My Girls At?" in tribute to

at the Black Music Honors. On September 16, 2023, Irish Grinstead died after a long battle with an undisclosed illness. In 2024, 702 appeared as special guest on " The Queens of R&B Tour".

Artistry

702 recorded R&B songs with styles that encompass

rap Rapping (also rhyming, flowing, spitting, emceeing, or MCing) is an artistic form of vocal delivery and emotive expression that incorporates " rhyme, rhythmic speech, and ommonlystreet vernacular". It is usually performed over a backin ...

soul The soul is the purported Mind–body dualism, immaterial aspect or essence of a Outline of life forms, living being. It is typically believed to be Immortality, immortal and to exist apart from the material world. The three main theories that ...

contemporary Contemporary history, in English-language historiography, is a subset of modern history that describes the historical period from about 1945 to the present. In the social sciences, contemporary history is also continuous with, and related t ...

gospel Gospel originally meant the Christianity, Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the second century Anno domino, AD the term (, from which the English word originated as a calque) came to be used also for the books in which the message w ...

, and

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

. In the group's original lineup, LeMisha was the lead vocalist, Irish was on

alto The musical term alto, meaning "high" in Italian (Latin: '' altus''), historically refers to the contrapuntal part higher than the tenor and its associated vocal range. In four-part voice leading alto is the second-highest part, sung in ch ...

, Orish and Amelia were on soprano. After the lineup change, LeMisha later alternated as second soprano and alternate lead vocalist in the group's trio lineup as Meelah often sang lead for the majority of their songs. In their first album ''

'' (1996), each member sings lead in the majority of the songs. Williams, however, completely led songs like "

" and " Get It Together". The group explored themes of women's empowerment in songs such as " Where My Girls At?" and "Better Day (Ghetto Girl)".

Legacy

702 have been recognized as one of the most influential female R&B groups of the 1990s. 702's final lineup as a trio has been widely noted as the group's most recognizable and successful lineup, having sold over 4 million records worldwide. The group's single "Where My Girls At?" (1999) was ranked number 46 on ''Billboard'''s list of "100 Greatest Girl Group Songs of All Time", ranked number 72 on their "The 99 Greatest Songs of 1999" list, and was listed on their "Greatest of All Time Top Songs of the 90s" list. The term "Steelo" became popularized by 702's single of the same name as a

slang word A slang is a vocabulary (words, phrases, and linguistic usages) of an informal register, common in everyday conversation but avoided in formal writing and speech. It also often refers to the language exclusively used by the members of part ...

for "style". The group has also been credited as a musical influence or inspiration to several artists including

Solange Knowles Solange Piaget Knowles (; born June 24, 1986) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She expressed an interest in music from an early age and had temporary stints as a backup dancer for Destiny's Child, which featured her older sister ...

, and

FLO Flo or FLO may refer to: People * Flo (name), a list of people with the name Flo * Flo, nickname of LB1, a ''Homo floresiensis'' fossil Places * Flo, Norway, a village near Stryn, Vestland * Flo, Sweden, a historic parish near Grästorp, ...

.FLO Wins Brit Awards’ Rising Star Award
Billboard. Retrieved on April 9, 2024

Members timeline

Current members

*Misha Grinstead (1993–2006), (2017–present) *Meelah Williams (1995–2001), (2002–2005), (2017–present)

Former members

*Irish Grinstead (1993–2006), (2017–2022) *Orish Grinstead (1993–1995), (1999), (2006) *Amelia Cruz (1993–1995) *

(1995–1996) *Cree Lemore (2001)

Discography

Studio albums * ''

'' (1996) * '' 702'' (1999) * ''

'' (2003)

Awards and nominations

American Music Awards The American Music Awards (AMAs) is an annual American music awards show produced by Dick Clark Productions since 1974. Nominees are selected on commercial performance such as sales and airplay. Winners are determined by a poll of the public and ...

BET Awards The BET Awards are an American award show that was established in 2001 by the BET, Black Entertainment Television network to celebrate Black person, Black entertainers and other minorities in music, film, sports and philanthropy. The awards, which ...

Soul Train Lady of Soul Awards The Soul Train Lady of Soul Awards were an American award show that was established in 1995 by the Soul Train Music Awards to honor the achievements of female recording artists. Produced by Don Cornelius Productions and presented annually, the ann ...

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:702 1994 establishments in Nevada African-American girl groups American contemporary R&B musical groups American girl groups American pop girl groups American R&B girl groups Dance-pop groups American feminist musicians Motown artists Musical groups established in 1994 Musical groups disestablished in 2006 Musical groups reestablished in 2017 Musical groups from Nevada Sibling musical groups Teen pop groups Universal Motown Records artists Vocal quartets Vocal trios