Diddy’s Role in 112 Getting Their Name

Back in the 1990s, hit-making R&B group 112 made a splash in the music world with beloved songs like “Only You” and “Cupid,” as well as their collab with Bad Boy Records labelmates Diddy and Faith Evans, “I’ll Be Missing You.” But before they rose to stardom as 112, they were a local group looking to make a name for themselves.

112 got their start in Atlanta

The members of 112 met in high school in Atlanta. The original group, which was named Forte, consisted of Daron Jones, Michael “Mike” Keith, and Reginald Finley. The trio sang together while Jones and Keith were in middle school and Finley was in high school. After the three of them were in high school at the same time, they met the deep-voiced Aldon Lagon, who worked at a local McDonald’s at the time. They later met a high tenor singer, Marvin Scandrick (a.k.a. “Slim”), who sang with them in the school chorus; Scandrick, along with Quinnes “Q” Parker, later joined the group.

In its early days, Forte performed at local talent shows, churches, and schools in the Atlanta area. Their manager eventually got them an audition with Sean “Diddy” Combs, known then as Puff Daddy.

112 got their name from a club in Atlanta

Forte auditioned for Diddy at Atlanta’s now-defunct Club 112, located in Buckhead, singing for him outside the nightclub.

Diddy was impressed, and after another audition in front of Bad Boy Records artists Faith Evans and Usher, Diddy signed the quartet of Keith, Scandrick, Jones, and Parker to Bad Boy Records.

The group dropped the name Forte and named themselves 112 after the nightclub that ended up changing the course of their lives forever.

112 became a hit-making group

After signing with Bad Boy Records, 112 got to work on recording their debut album. The self-titled project was released in 1996 and featured the hit singles “Cupid” and “Only You,” the latter being a collaboration with fellow Bad Boy Records signee Notorious B.I.G.

The group’s collab with Diddy and Biggie’s wife Faith Evans, “I’ll Be Missing You,” was a tribute to The Notorious B.I.G. after his death. The song won them a Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group. They also earned a Grammy nomination for their 2001 single “Peaches & Cream.”

In 2017, the group joined artists like Diddy, Mase, Faith Evans, Total, The Lox, and French Montana for the Bad Boy Family Reunion Tour, which brought Bad Boy Records signees past and present to venues all around the country.