What Ever Happened To: Gina Thompson
In the summer of '96, there wasn't a car radio that wasn't bumping "The Things That You Do" at some point.
To the average eye, it looked like Gina Thompson was poised for success…A hometown girl from Vineland NJ who hit the big time, signed a recording contract with Mercury Records and even had her single produced by Puffy himself (which was a big deal 20 years ago), and a then-unknown Missy Elliot. This was the first time that we heard Elliot utter the signature phrase, "He-he-he-he-how, He-he-he-he-he -he-how"- and a star was born….Unfortunately for Thompson, that star wasn't her, but Missy Elliot, who is still somehow relevant today, making the same non-sensical lyrics that she did 20 years ago.
Thompson's Platinum-selling debut album, Nobody Does it Better, went up to #12 on the R&B/Hip-Hop charts, fueled by her hit single, "The Things You Do." in addition she was also featured on songs from Elliot herself and MC Lyte. That's some pretty good company to be in for someone just starting out. So what happened? Well, in 1999, she switched to Elektra Records to release her follow-up, If You Only Knew, but the album ended up being shelved, and Thompson asked to be let go from her contract.
Where is she now?
Aside from releasing a single in 2008 through an independent label, she's all but vanished from the music scene. Last I heard she was playing house parties back in her hometown of Vineland NJ….Seriously! I grew in Atlantic City NJ…only 45 mins away from Vineland, and trust me, word travels fast.
