If you aren’t familiar with Full Force, you’re missing out. The six-person group of singers is comprised of brothers and cousins who were not only a chart-topping collective, but they also wrote and produced for dozens of artists throughout their careers. A few notable acts included the Backstreet Boys, Britney Spears, James Brown, Bob Dylan, Patti LaBelle, ‘N Sync, Roxanne Shanté, The Black Eyed Peas, and Selena. Most people recognize brother Paul Anthony, Brian George, and Lucien George Jr. from the original classic film House Party where they played the muscular, jheri curl-wearing bullies.

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The longtime entertainers recently visited The Breakfast Club to not only celebrate the 30th anniversary of House Party which just past on March 9, but to talk about their eventful careers. As they shared stories of artists they’ve worked with, they mentioned their time with . They explained that a friend of theirs turned 

“Besides Nicki just rapping, she even sang me a gospel song,” Paul Anthony recalled. “Even before she was big, she was doing all the crazy voices and everything.”and a few others, but he said it was difficult getting them a record deal. Soon, they began working with Nicki as a solo artist and eventually ended up at Warner Bros in a meeting with Kevin Liles.

Things were going well until the label expressed that they wanted Nicki to have a ghostwriter. “At the time [they] wanted to write for her and she refused,” he said. “Nicki always had a thing about writing her own sh*t.” They thought it was an impressive move for the unknown artist because they knew she was “hungry” but wouldn’t compromise on who she was an artist—and she even passed on the opportunity while having “a little crush on Juelz.” Watch the members of Full Force on The Breakfast Club below.