Montell Jordan

Montell Jordan (born December 3, 1963) 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.^[1]

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.

Through 2015 and 2016, Jordan appeared at the halftime shows of various sporting games, as well as on The Late Late Show with James Corden, performing "This Is How We Do It".^[2][3][4]

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.^[5]

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

• 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)

References

External links

• Montell Jordan at the Internet Movie Database
• 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