Lyte Funkie Ones

LFO started in 1995 when Boston-based emcees Rich "Rich Nice" Cronin and Brian "Brizz" Gillis joined forces to start a Hip-Hop group. They took the name Lyte Funkie Ones, which is based off a nick name that Rich Cronin acquired from Boston's Hip-Hop scene, the light funky one. In an attempt to secure a record deal, they traveled to Florida where they went to the home of Lou Pearlman. It's there that they met Brad Fischetti, who had traveled to Florida from New York to start a career as a rapper. Brad became the third member of the group and they started working on material. The group was signed to Trans Continental Records/Logic Records and their first single, "Step By Step", a dance infused cover of the New Kids On The Block hit, was released internationally in 1997. Their second single, "(Sex U Up) The Way You Like It", was released in the US as well as internationally. The song received a remix the featured Miami Bass Hip-Hop group 95 South and a music video that featured Luthor "Luke" Campbell, of 2 Live Crew fame. The group toured with LL Cool J and released a promotional single for "Paul Revere", a cover of the Beastie Boys classic. "I Can't Have You" was the last single/music video before Brizz left the group. In 1999, after Brizz left the group, singer Harold "Devin" Lima was brought into the fold. Devin's soulful voice lead to a more R&B sound being brought to the group. A radio DJ in Washington D.C. played the b-side to an LFO demo tape, and their song "Summer Girls" took off. Now on Arista Records, a single and music video were released for "Summer Girls" and the song sold more than two million copies, reaching the top of the charts. Their debut album was rushed to meet the demand created from the success of "Summer Girls". The self-titled debut album sold over two and a half million copies. The album's second official single was "Girl On TV", and its music video featured Rich's then-girlfriend Jennifer Love Hewitt. The song was a massive hit as well. The singles "I Don't Wanna Kiss You Goodnight" and "West Side Story" followed. They promoted the album by touring with Britney Spears, headlining the Nickelodeon All That Music Tour, and making dozens of TV appearances. They also had a cameo in the film Longshot. In 2001 the group released their second album, Life Is Good, which introduced more of a rock influence to their sound. The J Records project featured collaborations with De La Soul, Kelis, and M.O.P. The single "Every Other Time" mirrored the success of their earlier hits. The album's self-titled second single trickled on to music store shelves, but J Records backed out of supporting the single and the album. With the lack of support from J Records and the changing landscape of the music scene, LFO went on hiatus in 2002. During the hiatus, Rich Cronin started a new band, Bad Mood Mike, which toured with O-Town for a few months. In 2005, while writing songs for his solo project, Rich was diagnosed with acute myelogenous leukemia and underwent chemotherapy and a stem cell transplant. The songs he was writing resulted in the digital EP Nothing Lasts Forever (2006) and his album Billion Dollar Sound (2008). He also penned songs for Brooke Hogan, Aaron Carter, and the group Natural. He also formed the "frat rap" Hip-Hop group Loose Cannons with Bad Ronald emcee Doug Ray/Toothpick. In 2007, he also starred in VH1's Mission Man Band reality show, creating the super group Sureshot with Color Me Badd's Bryan Abrams, 98 Degrees' Jeff Timmons, and NSYNC's Chris Kirkpatrick. Brad Fischetti started One Eleven Records, and independent record label that features emo, punk, rap, and acoustic singer/songwriter acts. He also released a solo project under the name Sari, titled Ambiland. Devin Lima, signed to Brad's label, started a new band, Devin Lima & The Cadbury Diesel, which produced the critically acclaimed album Mozart Popart. In 2009 LFO reunited for their Boys of Summer tour, which featured openers Rookie of the Year, Go Crash Audio, and Kiernan McMullan. Cronin, in a weakened state from his ongoing health battles, would rest throughout the day and would occasionally need help from his bandmates to get ready for the show, and was even carried to the stage on occasion. There was no sign of these health set backs during their live show. Brad and Devin would spend the early hours of the day promoting the tour while Rich would rest. At the end of the tour, Rich continued writing while Brad and Devin started the trip-hop group called Xiles, producing the 2009 holiday EP "Hip Hop Christmas". Rich Cronin passed away from complications of leukemia in September of 2010. Prior to his passing, Rich established the Rich Cronin Hope Foundation for Leukemia, which promotes awareness about the importance of volunteer bone marrow registry. It has facilitated over 2,500 registrations to the Be the Match registry and continues to be a major presence in the cancer care community through its Marrow for Life, Hope Strides, and Hope Sings initiatives. A week after his passing, his single "It Only Gets Better" was released. In 2016, 98 Degrees contacted LFO's surviving members, asking if they'd like to join them on stage for the TRL montage portion of their show. Brad and Devin agreed and flew to New York for the show. The crowd was in hysteria when Brad and Devin took the stage, which lead to a tour promoter telling them that they were the highlight of the show and that he wanted to know if they'd like to tour again. After initially turning down the offer, they did some soul searching and agreed to do it. In 2017, Brad and Devin released the new LFO single titled "Perfect 10". Their highly successful Rich In Love Tour happened that summer. LFO booked additional shows and were about to announce the next leg of the tour when Devin was diagnosed with stage 4 adrenal cancer. During surgery, a tumor the size of a football was removed from Devin's stomach, along with his kidney. While his health improved for months, the cancer came back strong in the summer of 2018. Devin passed away on November 21, 2018. Brad Fischetti has since taken it upon himself to honor his bandmates by hosting the Pop 2000 Tour and having the members of O-Town join him on stage for an LFO medley. The medley is consistently a highlight of the evening and features their hits Every Other Time, West Side Story, Girl On TV, and Summer Girls, the last two songs featuring the recorded vocals of Devin and Rich. Brad frequently does interviews with various online personalities and vloggers to share the LFO story.