Troop

Troop is an American R&B group comprising Steve Russell, John Harreld, Rodney Benford, Reggie Warren, and Allen McNeil, who joined up as teenagers in California in 1987 and gained attention through an appearance on the television talent show Puttin' on the Hits. Their first single “Mamacita” went to Number 2 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs in 1988 and “My Heart” reached Number 9 later the same year. Both tracks were included in their 1988 eponymous debut, released via Atlantic. Their second LP Attitude peaked at Number 5 on Billboard's Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Chart in 1990 and produced two Number 1 singles on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs: “Spread My Wings” and “All I Do Is Think of You.” In 1992, their third full-length Deepa featured the single “Sweet November,” which topped the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. Troop has appeared with many top R&B and hip-hop acts on tour as well as on television shows such as Soul Train and Showtime at the Apollo and they sang on the soundtrack of the movie New Jack City (1991). Steve Russell also has won acclaim for writing and producing songs for other artists including Jennifer Hudson, B2K, Joe, Donnell Jones, and Keith Sweat, while McNeil and Harreld both released solo albums during the 2010s. In 2021, the group suffered a severe loss when Reggie Warren passed away after a long fight with an illness that has not been disclosed.