Revisiting One-Hit Wonders: Where Are They Now?

It is often hard to maintain a successful career in the industry, between the money and the constant change in what the public is looking for. Thus many artists will release that one song that sticks with generation after generation, that is constantly played at every event you go to and is always somehow stuck in your head. This is a “one-hit wonder,” and here are some of the most popular and well known ones. 

Vanilla Ice

On August 22, 1990 Vanilla Ice released his massive hit “Ice Ice Baby.” Vanilla Ice, his real name being Robert Matthew Van Winkle, was discovered by Tommy Quon in the late 1980s in Dallas, Texas. Quon was a former club owner and manager, where he saw Ice perform. 

Ice was said to have a natural talent for singing, dancing, and the crowd seemed to love him. This is also where he got his nickname “Vanilla Ice,” since he is white. He was then signed to SBK records where his first LP, “Hooked,” did poorly. Although, “Play that Funky Music” did make it to the radio. Afterwards, he released “Hooked” under the name “To the Extreme,” which contained the smash hit “Ice Ice Baby.” 

This record blew up for many reasons, some genuinely liked the song, others said Ice did not deserve to have a career and many saw it as a joke song. Despite this differing opinions, the hit went on to sell 15 million copies and held the number one spot for 16 weeks. 

Ice then went on to join the movie industry with his first feature film being “Cool As Ice (1991),” which was a failure and was only in theaters for three weeks. 

After a few features in films and a performer on Dancing with the Stars, Ice seemed to have completely left the entertainment scene. He now has three daughters and sells light fixtures in Florida, where he resides. 

Silento

Silento, also known as Richard Lamar Hawk, took the internet by storm with his hit single “Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae)” song and accompanying dance. In 2015, at the age of 16, he released this hit song which currently has 1.9 billion views on Youtube and peaked on the charts at number 3 and remained on the charts for 51 weeks. 

Silento was persistent in making music since about 8th grade, where he would often perform with friends at birthday parties. He contacted Timmy Mingo, who was known as “Bolo Da Producer,” to produce his hit song. The song was then released by Capitol Records officially May 5th, 2015. 

The song went on to be nominated for numerous awards such as “Song of the Summer,” “Best Dance Performance,” and “R&B Hip-Hop Song” between multiple award shows. After this smash hit, many did not hear from Hawk again until recently when he was arrested on murder charges for the murder of his cousin, Frederick Rooks. 

A jury indicted Silento with felony murder, malice murder, aggravated assault and possession of a firearm while committing a felony and is awaiting trial. 

Baha Men 

This Jamaican Group is best known for their hit “Who Let the Dogs Out” Now, this group is not like the other one-hit wonders that have been discussed. 

Baha Men, originally known as High Voltage, have been successful in the Bahamas since their debut album “Junkanoo” in 1979. They even starred in a family movie in the 90s, which created more Japanese tourism to the Bahamas. 

They blend their music with western and Caribbean pop elements to create a fun and energetic time for their listeners. Their hit song was released in 2000 on their album “Who Let the Dogs Out” and went on to win the Grammy for “Best Dance Recording” in 2001. 

Now, many members of The Baha Men have children and grandchildren and have settled in the Bahamas. Their most recent album, “Ride With Me,” was released in 2015, and they still perform, tour, and release music. 

LMFAO

LMFAO is not exactly a one-hit wonder, but they took the early 2000s by storm and now they seem to have disappeared. The group consists of uncle and nephew, RedFoo and Sky Blu, also known as Stephen and Skyler Gordon. 

In the mid-2000s the duo was signed to Interscope Records by Jimmy Lovine. Their debut single released in 2008 titled “I’m in Miami Bitch.” Then, they released “Shots” featuring Lil John. 

They didn’t reach the height of their career until their second album “Sorry for Party Rocking” in 2011, featuring hits like “Sorry for Party Rocking,” “Party Rock Anthem,” and “Sexy and I Know It.” “Sorry for Party Rocking” gave the group their first number one-hit and then “Sexy and I Know It” reclaimed that spot again for them. 

All these songs became very popular in both the club and prom scene. In spite of all of their success, the group announced an indefinite hiatus in 2012, stating they wanted to go in separate directions musically. 

The duo went in different directions with Sky Blu sticking solely to music, and rebranding to the name Fxck Yeah. However, he has not posted on his social media since 2020. While RedFoo went on to be featured on many different shows, including Dancing with the Stars. He also released a few more solo albums. 

Recently, the duo has been fairly quiet, but they do still follow each other on Instagram and seem to have a healthy relationship.