Cali girls Monie, Yei, Stixx and Blue have been performing together since they were toddlers. But it took a chance encounter with a record label executive at an Atlanta mall to transform them into EPIC. After teaming with GRAMMY Award-winning producer Kevin "She'kspere" Briggs, the ladies began working on their debut album and delivered the lead single, "Hold On," last year on Christmas day. Twenty-five years ago, this same song originally served as the debut single for another female quartet -- the supremely talented En Vogue.
Well, the ladies of EPIC hope to follow in their footsteps and make a lasting impression in the R&B landscape with their recently released video for the track. I sincerely applaud their attempt to tackle such an iconic song. These lovely ladies can carry a tune, there's no argument there. But...and I fault their management/label for this...when you claim to be "a breath of fresh air to those missing originality in entertainment," you've got to come better than this.
Ooh, your first mistake was trying to recreate En Vogue's signature introit cover of "Who's Loving You." From the "signature hair color" for each girl (seriously, can we end this trend already?), to the nicknames, to the uninspired vocals and tired choreography, nothing about this says "original" at all. Oh wait, this version does include a rap verse. Score one for authenticity, I guess. The obligatory 16 bars comes courtesy of Kentucky-bred rapper, Brandon Simmons (aka B Simms or B SIMM, depending on whom you ask), who delivers lyrical gems such as, "Girl, you got so many issues you should be in Vogue." Yes. We see what you did there, sir.
EPIC is an acronym for "Edgy. People. Impacting. Culture." Edgy? Nah. And they're not impacting culture so much as imitating it. But everybody's got to start somewhere, so here's hoping that EPIC will be allowed to break out of the pre-packaged fame box and live up to their full potential.
Listen to the song, then check out the debut video below to see if it's worth the hype. If you're digging their current sound, grab a free download of "Hold On" while you can. For more EPIC updates, head over to their website where you can learn more about the group and follow them on social media.
