These R&B Groups Had Members Who Couldn’t Stand Each Other

Making a band that puts out chart-topping hits is hard enough. But maintaining a successful musical act with members who get along is a whole other challenge. Whenever you put talented artists together, there’s bound to be conflict as creative differences and egos clash. And if you think things are better when the bandmates are related, think again.

We’re looking at some of our favorite R&B groups who, despite their success, had members who just couldn’t get along.

The Supremes

One of the original girl groups, The Supremes were known for their stunning voices and their glamorous gowns. The group, which included Florence Ballard, Diana Ross and Mary Wilson, released a string of hits on Motown Records, including “Baby Love,” “Where Did Our Love Go” and “Come See About Me.”

But as you can probably guess, things began to fall apart. Florence Ballard was fired from the group in 1967 as her struggles with addiction led her to miss rehearsals and public appearances. Tensions arose within the group as Diana Ross, who was romantically linked to Motown founder Berry Gordy, appeared to receive preferential treatment and greater creative control. Gordy even renamed the group Diana Ross and The Supremes.

Ross left the group in 1970 to pursue a solo career. The group broke up for good in 1977.

The Temptations

The Temptations were one of Motown’s hottest acts in the 1960s, and they seemed to have found their groove when David Ruffin joined the group as a vocalist in 1963, replacing Eldridge Bryant. Ruffin’s star rose with the group as he sang lead on hits like, “”My Girl” and “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg.” But his ego grew along with his popularity, leading him to throw out lots of demands including preferential treatment and even a group name change to David Ruffin and The Temptations (you know, like Diana Ross and The Supremes). The group eventually got tired of the drama and fired Ruffin from the group in 1968.

But even after his split, Ruffin was known to show up and steal the show from the remaining members. And while it drove fans crazy, the other members of The Temptations didn’t appreciate it so much.

Cameo

Cameo brought funk music to the mainstream in the late 1970s and 1980s with dance hits like “Word Up” and “Candy.” Their unique sound and fashion-forward style made them instant stars. But when the original group disbanded, they didn’t leave on good terms. Some members accused lead singer Larry Blackmon of exercising unfair control over the band’s finances and even the group’s name.

In 2018, former Cameo members Nathan Leftenant, Arnett Leftenant, Jeryl Bright, Gregory Johnson, and Tomi Jenkins sued Larry Blackmon, accusing him of preventing them from collecting digital royalties on their music. But Blackmon clapped back with a countersuit, alleging the former members performed using the band’s name, which he claimed as his intellectual property, without his consent.

En Vogue

From their perfect harmonies to their sexy bodycon dresses, R&B girl group En Vogue was everything in the ’90s. But although their hits like “Hold On” were at the top of the charts, the ladies didn’t see the benefits in their bank accounts.

As the group gained popularity, cracks began to form, and members Dawn Robinson and Maxine Jones were outspoken about being unsatisfied with the terms of their deal. The two ultimately left the group and were replaced by other members. And while time has healed some of the old wounds between the members, Dawn Robinson says there’s no way she’s getting back on stage with En Vogue unless it’s just the OG four.

“I won’t say never. My problem is Rhona being there,” she said in an interview. “I think she’s great, she has never done anything to me, she’s not a bad person at all. I do know that she needs to step back if we are going to do a reunion at all. It just needs to be the four of us.”

Xscape

In 1993, Atlanta natives and singers Kandi Burruss, Tameka “Tiny” Harris, LaTocha Scott-Bivens and Tamika Scott came together to form the girl group Xscape. Known for their smooth harmonies and their hip-hop edge, the ladies topped the R&B charts with hits like “Understanding” and their remake of The Jones Girls’ classic “Who Can I Run To.” But as the group gained popularity, internal rivalries became an issue, particularly between LaTocha Scott-Bivens and Kandi Burruss. LaTocha accused Kandi of being jealous of her, while Kandi felt LaTocha was putting her solo aspirations ahead of the group.

“I think it was a lot of ego involved,” Tiny said in an episode of ‘Unsung.’

Although the group members have appeared together in public in recent years, the group’s Wikipedia page currently lists LaTocha as a past member of Xscape.

Tony! Toni! Tone!

In the late 1980s, Raphael Saadiq, his brother D’Wayne Wiggins and their cousin Timothy Christian Riley were better known as the R&B group Tony! Toni! Tone! They released a string of successful hits, like “Anniversary” and “It Never Rains.” But creative differences caused problems with the members that threatened to ruin their act and the vibe at their family reunion. Saadiq left the group to make music with Lucy Pearl, something he said he did to save the relationship with his Tony! Toni! Tone! family.

“I left because it was going to destroy us as a family. So I said, well, I’m gonna leave. I don’t know exactly what I’m gonna do, so I guess I’ll just do another group, which was Lucy Pearl,” Saadiq said in an interview with Fox 29 Philadelphia. “I told my brother, ‘I think we probably lost a lot of money, but I still got you as a brother, which is more important to me.”

Sadly, D’Wayne Wiggins passed away in March 2025 after a battle with cancer.

Sister Sledge

In 1979, sisters Joni, Kim, Debbie and Kathy Sledge joined forces with Chic’s singer-songwriter Nile Rodgers to make musical magic with a string of hits, including “He’s the Greatest Dancer” and “We Are Family.” But ten years later, Kathy left the group to pursue a solo career, which led to a split that landed the sisters in court, with Joni, Kim and Debbie suing to keep Kathy from using the family name.

I was actually sued by my sisters,” Kathy explained in an interview with Headline. “I’d like to really make this clear: I never sued anyone, I never would. And I never left the band. I did a solo project and I was asked to leave the band. I was sued so that I couldn’t perform as or from Sister Sledge, and that was frustrating to me. I like singing with a group! I’m not fighting my sisters, but I had to fight for the right to sing.”

Shalamar

Jody Watley, Jeffrey Daniel and Howard Hewitt were the members of the 1970s and 1980s R&B-soul trio Shalamar. They kept fans dancing with hits like “Make That Move” and “A Night to Remember.” Egos eventually got the best of the group as Jody and Jeffrey, who were regular dancers on ‘Soul Train’ before joining the group, felt their talent for singing wasn’t appreciated, and Howard Hewitt was made the group’s clear lead.

But Jody Watley, who went on to have pop solo success with hits like “Looking For A New Love,” has recently called the stories of strife within the group a false narrative created by people who were jealous of her success and independence.

“How can you beef with people you no longer work with?” she said in a 2023 video post. “It’s been 40 years, and there’s no beef, there’s no grudge, never has been than ever. When people can’t control you, they try to control how other people view you, trying to bring you down.”

New Edition

Before there was Jagged Edge, 112 or Jodeci, there was New Edition. The boys from Boston were known for their catchy lyrics, choreography and their ability to make their audiences absolutely lose their minds whenever they took the stage.

But Bobby Brown soon emerged as the group’s resident bad boy, and his on-stage antics led the other members to vote him out of NE in 1986.

“The way that it was presented to us at the time was if we didn’t get rid of him, everything was in jeopardy,” original New Edition member Ricky Bell said in an interview with ‘Oprah Where Are They Now?’ “If we were gonna move on, then we had to get rid of him.”

Of course, all was not lost. Brown went on to pursue a successful career as a solo artist and Johnny Gill brought his soul-stirring vocals to New Edition.

The Jets

Polynesian singing stars The Jets found R&B and pop success with hit songs like “Crush On You” and “You’ve Got It All.” The talented siblings were inspired by other family acts like The Jacksons and The Osmonds and were on a path to replicate their success. But despite their talent, they never achieved the financial success they deserved.

According to an episode of Unsung, a rift was formed in the group as creative differences led to a struggle over the direction the band would take, leaving the siblings to split into two separate groups who challenged each other in court over who had a legal right to use the band’s name.

Hall & Oates

They may not be Black, but you’d be hard-pressed to find a Millennial or Gen X Black person who didn’t grow up listening to Hall & Oates’ 1980s hit “I Can’t Go For That (No Can Do).”

Although the duo seemed inseperable during their hitmaking prime, these days they try to stay as far away as possible.

The bandmates ultimately fell out in 2023 after Daryl Hall accused John Oates of trying to sell his share of Whole Oats Enterprises, a joint business venture which controls trademarks, name rights, royalties and more, to a third party without his consent. Hall said the move caught him off guard, but was all the confirmation he needed that the days of Hall & Oates were done.

“It hit me by surprise,” Hall told Variety. “I don’t know, man — all I can say is people change and sometimes you don’t really know someone like you thought you did.

Color Me Badd

A conversation about 90s R&B hits has to include Color Me Badd, who put themselves on the map with their 1991 single, “I Wanna Sex U Up.” The group members, Bryan Abrams, Mark Calderon, Sam Watters and Kevin Thornton, met in their Oklahoma City high school choir. But issues between band members would ultimately lead to their split,

Singer Bryan Abrams was arrested in 2018 after he pushed Mark Calderon on stage during one of the group’s performances. In an interview with The Blast, Calderon said Abrams was intoxicated at the time, something Adams would later admit was due to his ongoing struggles with alcoholism. These days, Mark Calderon is listed as the only original remaining band member on the band website.