Montell Jordan

Montell Jordan
Montell Jordan at the Tom Joyner studios in 2008
Background information
Born	(1968-12-03) December 3, 1968 Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Genres	New jack swing R&B hip hop
Occupations	Singer songwriter record producer
Years active	1994–2010
Labels	PMP RAL Def Soul Koch Universal Fontana

Montell Jordan (born December 3, 1968) is an American singer, songwriter and record producer, best known for his 1995 single "This Is How We Do It". Jordan was the primary male solo artist on Def Jam's Def Soul imprint until leaving the label in 2003.

In 2010, Jordan left the music business to become the worship leader at Victory World Church in Norcross, Georgia.

Life and career

Early life and education

Jordan was born and raised in South Central Los Angeles. He attended Pepperdine University in Malibu, California, where he earned a bachelor's degree in communications. He became a member of the Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity in the spring of 1989. Jordan graduated in 1991.

Musical career

Jordan's first single was the 1995 #1 hit "This Is How We Do It," which sampled Slick Rick's earlier Def Jam hit "Children's Story". Jordan followed up his success with "Somethin' 4 Da Honeyz", which peaked at #21. Later hits included "Let's Ride" with Master P and Silkk the Shocker and "I Like". He co-wrote, produced and sang back-up on Shae Jones's 1999 album Talk Show. The Jordan single Get It On Tonite peaked at #4 in the same year.

In addition to crafting his own material, Jordan has written and produced for other artists, including Christina Milian, 98 Degrees, Shae Jones, Deborah Cox ("Nobody's Supposed to Be Here," 1998), Lil' Mo ("Ta Da," 2000), and Sisqó (the number-one hit "Incomplete," 2000). The singer had a comedic supporting role in the film The Fighting Temptations as Mr. Johnson, an aggressive convict who is self-conscious about his high-pitched voice. He made a cameo appearance in The Nutty Professor, and he performed in the documentary Standing in the Shadows of Motown. In 2003 Jordan left Def Soul and released the album Life After Def on Koch Records. He contributed to the album of popular Croatian singer Nina Badrić in the duet "Ne dam te nikom" ("I'm Not Giving You to Anyone"). Jordan's last release was 2008's Let It Rain on the Fontana Records label.

Jordan performed his hit, "This is How We Do It" during the February 25, 2015 halftime show of the Minnesota Timberwolves vs Washington Wizards NBA basketball regular season game.

Jordan sang "The Star-Spangled Banner" at the Friday May 8, 2015 NBA playoff game between the home Chicago Bulls and the visiting Cleveland Cavaliers. He then performed "This is How We Do It" for the half time show.

Jordan sang "This is How We Do It" for the half time show on Friday, May 22, 2015 during the NBA playoff game between the home Golden State Warriors and the visiting Houston Rockets.

Jordan performed his hit, "This is How We Do It" during the October 28, 2015 halftime show of the Indiana Pacers vs Toronto Raptors NBA basketball regular season game.

Jordan sang "The Star-Spangled Banner" at the Friday October 30, 2015 game between the home Sacramento Kings and the visiting Los Angeles Lakers. He then performed "This is How We Do It" for the half time show.

Jordan performed his hit "This Is How We Do It" on January 14th, 2016, at a Philadelphia 76ers home game versus the Chicago Bulls for the halftime show.

Jordan performed "star spangled banner" at a Los Angeles Lakers vs. Los Angeles Clippers game on January 29, 2015

Jordan performed "This is How We Do It" at The Palace of Auburn Hills on April 1st, 2016 for the halftime show for a game between the Detroit Pistons and the visiting Dallas Mavericks.

Present status

Jordan is now a born-again Christian and can be seen at Victory World Church in Atlanta, Georgia, where he lives and worships with the church team called Victory World Music. In late 2010, Jordan announced that he was officially leaving his music career behind to become a Worship Minister at Victory World Church.

In early 2011, Jordan wrote a Christian album featuring the song "Shake Heaven", with Beckah Shae.

Personal life

Jordan has been married to Kristin Hudson since June 1994. They have four children. He currently serves on the pastoral staff at Victory World Church in Norcross, Georgia.

Discography

Main article: Montell Jordan discography

• This Is How We Do It (1995)
• More… (1996)
• Let's Ride (1998)
• Get It On…Tonite (1999)
• Montell Jordan (2002)
• Life After Def (2003)
• Let It Rain (2008)

Filmography

• The Nutty Professor (1996) as Himself
• The Fighting Temptations (2004) as Mr. Johnson
• The List (2015)

External links

• Montell Jordan at IMDb
• Montell Jordan on Twitter
• Montell Jordan on Facebook
• April 2006 Full online interview
• Montell Jordan's Sermon on "Music is Power"
• "This Is How We Do It" by Montell Jordan on YouTube