R&B group 112 was a huge part of the ’90s music scene. The foursome was a part of the “golden era” of hip-hop & R&B and worked with Diddy and his Bad Boy roster as their premiere male group. Over the years, they have had some career highs and lows, but these days the guys seem to be struggling to keep it all together thanks to an aging fanbase and personal expenses. Child support payments might land vocalist Q out on the streets at the rate things are going.
112 formed as a group in high school. Quinnes “Q” Parker, Michael Keith, Marvin “Slim” Scardrick, and Daron Jones were the members that the world began familiar with when they hit the big time. Originally titled Forte, they did talent shows and sang at churches until they got discovered by producers Tim & Bob. The group eventually secured an audition for Diddy outside of club 112 in Atlanta, which would eventually become their namesake.
They guys would fly out to New York to record their debut album, which went double platinum. 112 would tour the world with Whitney Houston and Janet Jackson while racking up hits with Notorious B.I.G. Their single “Cupid” would become a massive hit. “Peaches and Cream” would also become a signature for them. Success would stall out in the mid-2000s, and the group would hit some snags in the road. This included label changes and issues over money.
Michael Keith would leave the group first, and eventually, Q would work on solo content. The disgraced members went public with their grievances, which included missing royalty payments. Eventually, they teased a reunion, releasing an album in 2017 titled Q Mike Slim Daron. Their last album in 2020 only featured two members, Slim and Mike. The duo has been performing alone on various R&B tours, which also feature Xscape, Tyrese, Monica, Ginuwine, Day 26, and others.
On his own, Q Parker seems to still command a pretty large following. He’s got almost as many followers as his former group, with over 300k people. Q seems to keep busy doing shows, podcasts and promoting his health and wellness projects. He hosts a discussion series titled Cardio Convos, where he chats with fans from the gym. He is also acting and was recently in a film that made it into the Toronto Black Film Festival.
He recently thanked Drake for showing 112 love. Drizzy posted their first album with the caption, “wouldn’t be shit without this.” Q thanked him saying, “When a legend shows respect for legends! @champagnepapi, thanks for the love bro. A real one!” In his personal life, Q Parker has been battling child support issues. While he’s been married for 17 years to Sharlinda Parker, hefathered a child with another woman outside of their marriage. The woman requested $12k a month in child support after the child was born.
After filing for bankruptcy, Q tried to renegotiate his payments. He was approved for $200/month. Q Parker reportedly owes close to $300k in back child support and has less than $1k in the bank. Sounds like he could use a spot on those tour dates.
