The band was originally formed in 1989 as a trio: childhood friends Tony Thompson, Russell Neal, and Oklahoma native, Toriano Easley.
Jive Records suggested adding childhood friends, Roderick "Pooh" Clark and Marcus Sanders, to the ensemble and later signed these founding members as Hi-Five.
[1] During the release of their debut album, Toriano Easley was charged with a crime, which involved a dispute with his neighborhood friends, rendering him unable to continue with the group.
Shortly after this album was released, the group was involved in a vehicular accident, which left Roderick "Pooh" Clark paralyzed from the chest down.
[4] "Unconditional Love" was also featured in the multi-platinum Menace II Society soundtrack, and received extensive airplay on urban contemporary stations throughout the summer of 1993 as the movie increased in popularity.
On June 1, 2007, Tony Thompson's body was discovered by security officers at around 10 p.m. near an air-conditioning unit outside of an apartment complex in his native Waco, Texas.
[7] In 2011, Treston Irby released his debut solo single "Everything" under the mantle Tru$ on his independent label, Bronx Most Wanted Ent.
In 2012, Irby, Shannon Gill and Marcus Sanders reformed Hi-Five with two new members, Andre Ramseur (aka Dre Wonda) and Faruq Evans.
[8] Hi-Five was featured on the TVOne music documentary series Unsung on August 6, 2014, chronicling the quintet's upbringing in Waco, their rise to superstardom, tragedies among group members, and their comeback.