3LW

In 1999, the original line up of 3LW formed. Their debut single, "No More (Baby I'ma Do Right)", was released in the fall of 2000. "No More (Baby I'ma Do Right)" was a chart success, and was followed by "Playas Gon' Play" in early 2001. The group's self-titled debut album, 3LW was released on December 5, 2000. The album went on to be certified platinum by the RIAA, selling 1.3 million copies in the US.[2] In the summer of 2001, the group embarked on the MTV Total Request Live Tour along with Destiny's Child, Dream, Nelly, Eve, and Jessica Simpson.

In 2001, 3LW recorded a song with various artists including Michael Jackson, Reba McEntire, Usher, Beyoncé, Luther Vandross, Céline Dion, and Mariah Carey in response to the September 11 attacks called "What More Can I Give". In late 2001 they collaborated with Lil' Romeo and Nick Cannon for "Parents Just Don't Understand" on the Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius soundtrack.

3LW spent the first half of 2002 in the studio, recording an album tentatively titled Same Game, Different Rules. The album and its intended lead single "Uh Oh" were presented to the label, who felt it did not have enough urban radio appeal. The tracks from Same Game, Different Rules were leaked to the Internet in MP3 format, and Epic considered dropping the girls. A fan support campaign for 3LW named 'Never Let Go Of 3LW' (after their song "Never Let Go") spread to the radio, and the act was retained, despite the album loss.

Recording a new set of tracks, the group returned in the summer of 2002 with the P. Diddy-produced single "I Do (Wanna Get Close To You)", featuring Loon. That same summer, the group performed a concert special on Nickelodeon titled Live on Sunset. By August, the group was set to release its newest LP, A Girl Can Mack, when member Naughton had left the group after heated arguments.[3] In an interview on Wendy Williams' radio show, Naughton alleged that she had a number of conflicts and arguments with Bailon, Williams, and their management, which led to a heated argument in August 2002 involving an altercation with KFC food.[4][5] Not long after, Naughton claimed that she was forced out of the group.[6]

Williams and Bailon continued as a duo while using the "3LW" name, causing the press to jokingly refer to them as "2LW".[3] According to a cover story for the October 2002 issue of Sister 2 Sister magazine, Williams and Bailon said they received death threats and that they had to beef up security. The departure of Naughton greatly affected the group's popularity and album sales. A Girl Can Mack's release date was pushed back a month, but sales were still disappointing debuting at No. 15 on the Billboard 200 with a disappointing 53,000 copies sold in the first week.[7] After the second single released from the album, "Neva Get Enuf", underperformed, the group released a Christmas-themed LP Naughty or Nice, which failed to appear on any major Billboard charts.[8]

In the midst of 3LW's public drama, Kiely Williams and Adrienne Bailon signed on to star in the Disney Channel original movie "The Cheetah Girls" alongside Raven-Symoné and Sabrina Bryan.[9][10] Following the film's completion, Williams and Bailon went back to 3LW and held auditions across the country for a new third member. Jessica Benson made the cut and joined 3LW in early 2003. Without Benson, the group might have had to split due to "bankruptcy".[11] Jessica's first performance was on Live with Regis & Kelly, followed by a performance on Soul Train. 3LW eventually left Sony, and signed a new record deal with Arista and Jermaine Dupri's So So Def label, and began working on their new album, with the tentative titles of Phoenix Rising and UNDER 21.[12]

Over time, Williams and Bailon became more involved with Disney's the Cheetah Girls, which eventually became a real recording group after the surprising success of the film and its accompanying soundtrack. With the sudden success of the franchise, Williams and Bailon found themselves having to juggle activities for both 3LW and the Cheetah Girls simultaneously.[13]

Though Williams and Bailon were heavily involved with the Cheetah Girls, they were still members of 3LW, though progress on their third studio album, now titled Point of No Return,[14] had halted due to their work with the Cheetah Girls.[15][16][17] The lead-off single, "Feelin' You", was added on radio stations July 12, 2006. Point of No Return was supposed to be released on August 15, 2006, but got shelved indefinitely and eventually fell off the release schedule. The album delays were caused by image conflicts between both groups. As a result, the album was never released.

In early 2007, Bailon stated in Girls Life magazine that 3LW was on hold because of the Cheetah Girls project. However, rumors were finally put to rest by Bailon in an interview with Jonathon Jackson in 2008 when Bailon confirmed that 3LW officially disbanded after they were removed from the So So Def roster. Bailon and Williams decided to then pursue the Cheetah Girls franchise full-time, although the group itself would disband in the same year.[18]