BLOG: Remember Total?

Say what you will about Danity Kane and Day 26, but Puff always did have a good eye for R&B acts. Besides 112, my favorite protégés of his was Total, the bad girls of Bad Boy. Kima, Keisha and Pam. They weren’t the best vocalists, but Pam’s husky tone carried many of their songs, Keisha added sex appeal and I’m not really sure what Kima (Vita’s sister) did but I’m sure she played a role. And two out of three of them weren’t bad on the eyes, according to the fellas.

The trio got their big break singing on a few Biggie tracks, including “Juicy” and “One More Chance.” Enough for me to cop their 1996 self-titled debut, now certified platinum. While they weren’t a huge mainstream act—“Can’t You See,” which was featured on the New Jersey Drive soundtrack, only reached No. 44 on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles chart—their music still bumps and Hot 97 plays “Can’t You See” like it just came out yesterday.

“CAN’T YOU SEE” ft. Notorious B.I.G.

I don’t remember Total doing that many interviews in their day, so I feel like we don’t know that much about them (can’t remember if they got a Vibe cover), but they were definitely respected by hip-hop heads thanks to singles like “No One Else” (the remix featured Lil Kim and Foxy Brown) and “Kissing You.” Not to mention their hooks on Mase’s “What You Want” and LL Cool J’s “Loungin’” and their second album, Kima, Keisha & Pam. Kima and Pam are pretty much milk-carton status—unless you guys know what they’re up to—meanwhile Keisha is living happily with her hubby Omar “you got the juice now” Epps and their two kids and is seen out at functions here and there. To me, the ’90s were that much better because of Total; they were the shit. Cosigned by B.I.G. —clovito

LL COOL J ft. Total “LOUNGIN”