even though they were both from the same place they couldn't have been more different one grew
up in the streets and the other in church but music would be the thing to link these
two vocal talents for decades to come rough ends had the early 2000s r b game on lock
from the moment their first single dropped however their outstanding sound and look couldn't keep
them from eventually disappearing from the scene for many years leading fans to believe that they
would never be heard from again let's find out whatever happened to r b duo rough ends
david nicknamed davinci chance and dante nicknamed chi jordan collectively known as rough ends
met in the early 90s in west baltimore maryland while growing up with influences such as marvin
gaye and the gospel group commissioned dante eventually found himself in a group at the
age of 14 with a bunch of much older men that went by the name of total male
at the time he was heavily into the street life and completely abandoned school however while
in the group he realized how important it was to buckle down and get his high school diploma
so he did just that on his first day back he met david who just happened to be skipping class to
hang out in the music room david grew up around plenty of music naturally since both his parents
sang professionally at one time his father was also a preacher and raised the family on gospel
music but he also got his fill of secular artists as well like michael jackson and stevie wonder him
and his nine siblings also helped their missionary mother give away food to the poor
despite their very different family dynamics and upbringings they clicked right away they
eventually put a quartet together named ultimate condition their talent was so undeniable that it
got the attention of patti labelle but differences among the members didn't allow for anything to pan
out things really didn't get rolling until a conversation with another baltimore singer
rufus waller also known as scola from the r b group drew hill he advised david and dante to
leave the group and carry on as a duo they decided to go for it since
they knew they would stand out as a two-man group since there weren't many of those around
dave and brown as they were originally called since another one of dante's nicknames is
charlie brown soon became rough-end the name perfectly described the daily hustle and grind
they had to go through to make their dream come true it was literally rough making ends meet
they got to work right away writing and recording their own material
they poured their heart and soul into their music not only because they were hungry for success but
also because they saw firsthand all the violence and chaos happening around them in their hometown
they knew making it big in the music industry was their ticket out since the money wasn't rolling in
just yet they also worked regular nine to fives one being at the fudgery the singing fudge shot
that the members of drew hill also worked at years prior not only were they able to earn a paycheck
but the exposure also helped them relax their nerves and improve their showmanship
their first demo that they put together didn't get them anywhere but even though they felt
discouraged they decided to persevere enter o.g pierce a songwriter producer
responsible for the montel jordan hit this is how we do it he scrapped their original demo and made
a new one which they brought to the offices of epic records in 1999. they blew everyone
away with a live performance right then and there and were signed immediately while the
duo was working on their debut album they got the opportunity to appear on their label mate
camron single freak that same year then in june 2000 ruffins released their debut single no more
people couldn't get enough of the amazing sound the mix of dante's rich baritone
and david's smooth tenor made together the song became an instant hit peaking
at number five on the billboard hot 100 and number one on the r b charts
the single wasn't even the group's first choice for their debut but after it began to circulate
to club and radio djs and a lot of buzz started to generate they just ran with it their debut album
love crimes was released two months later they did release a follow-up single where does love go from
here but it didn't chart after a lengthy tour and all the ideas and inspirations they garnered along
the way they wasted no time getting back into the studio to begin work on their sophomore album
the following year the first single from that album cash money cars close featuring memphis
bleak dropped without much fanfare it wasn't until the next single someone to love you released one
year later that they were able to reignite the flame and get back on the charts their album
of the same name was released three months after that the duo decided to take a break in 2003 after
personal issues between the two came to a head coupled with business issues with their label
the same year a compilation album of greatest hits was released yes you heard correctly
a greatest hits album by a group that had only put out two albums total by that point
upon investigation it appears that the album was really an easy and convenient way to honor their
final contract release with epic records and leave them free to seek other representation
their break ended up stretching on longer than they both anticipated
david gave some insight as to the reason in an interview with rnb junkie official.com saying
we parted ways with sony and we were looking to try to do another situation
we actually had an independent situation on the table through universal our friendship
and personal lives at the time had some hiccups my dad had passed away and my girlfriend at the
time was pregnant and i was about to be a father and it was just a lot going on in my personal life
and dante's personal life and so it was definitely a major cause in us parting ways
and starting a family and that kind of thing over the next several years both men pursued
solo endeavors and even though the duo was no longer recording together they still released
the album the final chapter a compilation of previously unreleased material to itunes in 2010
david started his own company and digitally released a couple of new projects including the
album unconditional love and the first single love of all time in 2012. he also became an independent
filmmaker and worked on a number of short films dante did his own thing and also worked
on projects with other artists such as cool and the gang and slave then a strange thing happened
ends was back all of a sudden but not the rough ends the fans recognized
dante wanted to get the group back together but david made it clear that he was very content doing
what he was already doing at the time and didn't have any interest in doing the group thing anymore
so with david's blessing dante made the decision to carry on without him and bring
a new member into the fold fellow baltimorean will carter professionally known as will star
however this new beginning would end as quickly as it began since a terrible event on the horizon
would bring back the two original members in an emotional way after all their time apart
david and dante were finally motivated to come back together for a good cause
they released the single time for change in 2016 in response to the baltimore riots
that had taken over the city at the time as a response to the death of freddie gray
then in 2018 when the fans were least expecting it
rough ends came out with soul brothers their first studio album in eight years
in an interview with you know dante spoke about the overall vibe of the album saying the album is
rated p for positive we wanted to be certain this is an album we can play for different audiences
whether it's my mother or daughter we both have kids now this album was created very purposeful
thinking about the power of having an audience that's going to be influenced by our music
in 2020 it was announced that a new rough ends album was on the way to celebrate the 20th
anniversary of their debut that year c19 ended up delaying things a bit but they did manage to
squeeze in a celebratory livestream concert in november they kept forging ahead and according
to their website the new album titled rebirth will be dropping march 2021 thanks for watching
please like and share the video and subscribe for more amazing content see you next time