rap group during the early years of hip hop. Singles such as "Monster Jam" featuring rapper Spoonie Gee and "Funky Sound (Tear The Roof Off)" kept the band touring, with Robinson acting as their mentor. The group faded into obscurity as hip hop changed from its original party sound to a more gritty street art form and the trio eventually disbanded in 1985. 1986–2005: Vertical Hold, Black Diamond and career breakthrough Stone then worked with hip hop and electro funk music group Mantronix, before becoming the lead vocalist of the trio Vertical Hold which released the popular single "Seems You're Much Too Busy" as well as two albums: A Matter of Time (1993) and Head First (1995). In 1996, Stone teamed up with Gerry DeVeaux, singer Lenny Kravitz's cousin, and Charlie Mole to form the group Devox. They recorded one album, Devox featuring Angie B. Stone, released in Japan by Toshiba EMI. Selected cuts were featured on Gerry DeVeaux's Front of the Line via the Expansion Records, which also included Stone-penned material. Signed to Jocelyn Cooper's Midnight Songs, Stone also shared songwriting credits on D'Angelo's first two studio albums, Brown Sugar (1995) and Voodoo (2000), as well as provided backing vocals when on tour with him. She also served as a backing vocalist on Lenny Kravitz's fifth studio album, 5 (1998). In the late 1990s, Arista Records then A&R manager Peter Edge brought Stone to label head Clive Davis's attention. He offered her a solo recording contract with the label and in September 1999, her debut solo album, Black Diamond, was released. Named after her then-teenage daughter Diamond Ti'ara, it was released to positive reviews from music critics, and reached the top ten on Billboards US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. Black Diamond was eventually certified gold by both the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) and spawned the Adult R&B Songs number-one hit "No More Rain (In This Cloud)". The single earned Stone two nominations at the 2000 Soul Train Music Awards. In 2000, Stone transitioned from Arista to music manager Clive Davis's venture J Records. Also that year, she recorded the theme song for the UPN/The CW sitcom Girlfriends, starring Tracee Ellis Ross. She then released her second album Mahogany Soul on October 16, 2001, with the label. Involving a wider range of contemporary R&B musicians, Stone collaborated with Carvin & Ivan, Raphael