Michael
(Jay Dogg) and Joseph (Jazz) met in the US Army in 1989. Since then
they have been good friends. They were both DJ´s and since it turned
out that Jay Dogg was the better DJ, Jazz got an idea that "You
do the DJ´ing and I do the rapping". And it was that way, and
they took part in many talent-competitions. When they came to Germany
in 1997, they met up with Essence Woods (Essie) on a party. She gave
them her number and they called her the next day. Joane, was a friends
of Essence so there we have the group 2-4 Family. As you may notice,
it isn´t the same person on the first single and video "Stay"
as it is in the other tracks. Joane became pragnet and went back to
London to give the birth and she wanted to be a mother, more than
to be a singer, so she left the group. Later you can spot her in the
popular S Club 7, where she was one of the lead singers. In the seacrh
of a new singer, the Parklane Music recieved a demo on "Killing
Me Softly" by a girl from London called Joanna Biscardine. They
liked it a lot, and they contacted her and she got the job. And here
we have the 2-4 Family!
In
the middle of 1998, during the golden European HipHop and Rap years
when artists like Nana, Down Low and C-Block dominated the charts
in Europe, a new group could be seen with the single "Stay" The song has a very catchy chorus and some great rappin by the groups
members. "Stay" got really big in Europe
and it also reached #8 on the famous chart Viva Top 100.

Then they
made a duet with Down Low, 4 The Cause, 2 Ruff and Sweetbox to made
the song "Last Christmas" as Rap
Allstars. It became a huge 1998 x-mas hit. The song is a
wonderful hip-hop version of Wham!´s old song. The second single from
2-4 Family was "Lean On Me". This is a
wonderful song, and proves that they aren´t a one-hit-wonder band.
It also reached number 9 on Viva Top 100. The debut album "Family
Business" was released the 16 of March 1999 and is one
of the best albums of the European HipHop%Rap era. The 3rd single
from 2-4 Family was "Take Me Home" and
was released in June, 1999. That was the end of the 2-4 Family.
They only released one album.
In
2004, we on T-Music
Forum got some great company, when both Mike Johnson (Jay
Dogg) and Joseph (Jazz) visited the T-Music Message Board. The told
us about the great experiences they had with 2-4 Family and what caused
the split of the group at the end. Both of the rappers visit the T-Music
Message Board a lot, so if you wanna ask them somethin, just bouce
away to the Board. Jazz uses nowadays the name J Double and
is in the US right now.
In 2006, it was time for another strange move from the music business. The producers of the original 2-4 Family, used the group name and formed a new 2-4 Family, with different members. They released the single "Stand Up", but after no success in the charts, the project was laid down. You can read about it in their page here on T-Music aswell.
In the latest years, Mike "Jay Dogg" Johnson has been producing a lot in Europe and have had some success. In the link down below, you can see his profile and check out his own career.