R.I.P. Tony Thompson, lead singer of Hi-Five

I didn't even have time to fully deal with my Pistons series ending defeat at the hands of LeBron and Co. before I learned that Tony Thompson, lead singer of Hi-Five, was found of an apparent drug overdose in his hometown of Waco, Texas. He was only 31.

If you were a black teen in the early 90s', Hi-Five was a REALLY BIG DEAL. Besides New Edition, they were the closest thing our generation had to a group like the Jackson 5. Hi-Five were a quintet of lanky, good-looking Texas boys with amazing voices, strong choreography and songs we could relate to. They had a nice string of hits in the early '90s: "I Like the Way (The Kissing Game)," "Quality Time," "She's Playing Hard to Get," "Unconditional Love," and my all-time favorite, "I Just Can't Wait Another Minute."



They were pop ("I Like the Way" went number 1 on both pop and R&B charts in 1991) and soulful, a great combination in the hip-hop influenced R&B of the early 90s. (Before people figured out the formula and screwed it all up.) Still, they always seemed to be under a black cloud -- a nearly fatal car accident after their second album nearly ended the group. By the mid-90s, rap's fixation with thug culture had taken over, and there was nowhere for these smooth crooners to go.

I'm sure more details will come out as time passes, but I would like to offer condolences to the Thompson family, and thank God for allowing my life to be touched for a short, but pivotal time by a talented young man who, sadly, didn't know how much he meant to us.

I have nothing to say about Detroit, by the way. We lost. Flip got outcoached, our players got outplayed, and Joe Dizzle has some tough decisions to make this summer. I just hope Cleveland didn't use all their energy trying to beat us.



You want posters? I got posters.



Six days to Frisco. Holla if you hear me.