Jermaine Dupri’s new singing group Brutha is charming, talented and oh so cute. They’re five brothers who could easily become the next singing sensation. We talked to them after their reality show “Brothers to Brutha” debuted on BET.
“We were just so grateful and ecstatic that [the show] came on because we worked so hard on it. And so far the feedback is positive, so we’re feeling good about it,” Grady Harrell said about the premiere of their show. Grady is the oldest of his 12 siblings (eight boys and five girls from the same father).
The reality show was filmed in the condo in California where the five brothers (Grady, 24, Cheyenne, 21, Jacob, 19, Jared, 20, and Anthony, 22) lived before they got famous. Add their younger sister Rissy, their mother Nancy and their mother’s ex-husband to the mix and it’s a full house. There are two mothers between the guys in the group. Nancy is not the biological mother of Jacob and Cheyenne, but you will see their mom on the show as well.
“It’s crazy to see it on TV. Our family is kind of nuts,” said Cheyenne, who answers to Poppa. Poppa was most surprised to hear his own voice. “I was like, man, I talk weird.”
Weird voices aside, the brothers’ love for the music comes through the screen. The first episode showed their arrival in Atlanta from Los Angeles to audition for Jermaine Dupri. The season will take you through the making of their self-titled debut album, which hits stores December 23. It will also reveal family drama and issues that viewers will relate to.
“All brothers fight,” Grady said as he explained the type of drama that will unfold on the show this season. “Sometimes alcohol can be a challenge for people who like to partake of it. Sometimes it’s hard to find that line between moderation and overindulgence. And also the overall challenges of trying to make the album, rehearsing and the physical training we go through and then the issues that were there before we were born, with our mothers, our father and our uncle.”
Brutha will start touring in early December to promote their album. When these guys blow up it won’t be much of a surprise to their family because they’ve been trained to succeed. “We’ve been singing all of our lives,” said Grady. There are two mothers between the guys, who both appear on the show, but they all have the same father. Grady said their dad didn’t give the boys an option about whether they wanted to sing. “He used to make us watch old tapes of the Jackson 5, The Temptations and the groups of old.” Add to that the management of their uncle Drano and the training that they received from Def Jam’s leadership and you get the transition from brothers to Brutha.
“Brothers to Brutha” airs Tuesdays at 10:30 p.m. ET. You can watch an episode of Brothers to Brutha on BET on Blast at BET.com. Watch Brutha’s video for "I Can’t Hear The Music" featuring Fabolous below.
– Sabrina M. Parker
Photo courtesy of Def Jam
