[1] They earned significant crossover success in the early 1990s with music that merged hip hop, older soul, and more pop-oriented urban R&B.

Their first album, Of the Heart, of the Soul and of the Cross: The Utopian Experience, was released in 1991 to critical acclaim, and was an immediate commercial success driven by its single "Set Adrift on Memory Bliss".

(Vibrations of Love and Anger and the Ponderance of Life and Existence), featuring the hit singles "I'd Die Without You" and "Looking Through Patient Eyes", was also praised by critics.

Dawn continued to receive strong reviews with their subsequent albums, Jesus Wept (1995) and Dearest Christian, I'm So Very Sorry for Bringing You Here.

The group's first demo tape was created using $600 that Prince Be had earned through his job as a night security guard at a homeless shelter.

[3] They first approached Tommy Boy Records, the rap music subsidiary of Warner Brothers, with their demo, but they were told that they were too much like alternative hip-hoppers De La Soul, and not hardcore or ghetto, and were turned away.

[citation needed] Eventually, Warlock, an independent record label, issued a debut single, "Ode to a Forgetful Mind", in 1989, but it went unnoticed.

Dawn found themselves courted not just by Gee Street's head, Jon Baker, but also by most of the major UK record labels.

Island issued a few more singles in the United Kingdom before releasing their debut album, Of the Heart, of the Soul and of the Cross: The Utopian Experience.

[1] With the success of their debut album, the band parted company with their manager Nick Hemmings and embarked on a world tour.

[5] The album, featuring George Michael and Madonna among others, was meant to raise money and awareness in support of the AIDS epidemic.

[1] "Looking Through Patient Eyes" featured backing vocals by Cathy Dennis and sampled George Michael's hit "Father Figure".

The music video for the song was shot in a church, and featured Christian images throughout — most notably, Prince Be wore a T-shirt with "Thank you, Jesus" written across it in black lettering.

[7] Though Island Records won the lawsuit, the song was removed from subsequent releases of The Bliss Album and is no longer available for purchase in their publishing catalog.

Dawn was credited with the remix of White Zombie's "Blood, Milk and Sky" (Miss September Mix) on the Supersexy Swingin' Sounds compilation album.

In the same year, Jarret Cordes (DJ Minutemix) was accused of sexually abusing a 14-year old relative and was subsequently arrested in Burlington County.

[5] In 1998, Prince Be contributed the tracks "Perfect for You" and "Gotta Be...Movin' on Up" to the Marlon Wayans and David Spade comedy Senseless, followed later in the year by P.M.

Dawn appeared on NBC's Hit Me, Baby, One More Time show, performing "Set Adrift on Memory Bliss", and covered Puddle of Mudd's "Blurry".

This led to the introduction of the Cordes brothers' paternal first cousin, Gregory Lewis Carr II, known by his stage name Doc.

[11] On June 17, 2016, Prince Be died from kidney disease, caused by complications of diabetes, at the age of 46 at a hospital in Neptune City, New Jersey.