Without the influence of those before them who laid the groundwork, this generation’s artists wouldn’t be where they are today. Ronnie DeVoe, a member of New Edition, and Shamari DeVoe, one-third of Blaque, know all about putting the work in. The two music veterans have both respectively stamped their footprint in the music business.

As proof of their long-lasting impact, earlier this year, Ronnie was on the road with New Edition — who have been in the game for over four legendary decades — for The Culture Tour. The shows were led by the Black Promoters Collective, which recently secured a $60 million quarter, Billboard reports.

For Shamari, she continues to tour for Blaque — who topped the charts in the 90s and 2000s — and the group has an upcoming performance at Groove Fest IV with fellow R&B greats Keith Sweat, Ginuwine, Blackstreet, and Dave Hollister. Additionally, she appeared on BET’s “The Encore” in 2021.

Tapping Into Real Estate

While the DeVoes have built longevity in music, over the years they’ve tapped into other industries to expand their empire.

For over two decades, Ronnie has achieved a growing presence in real estate with his firm DeVoe Real Estate. Stepping into the space created a new lane for the real estate agent and a way for him and Shamari — who also has her real estate license — to grow as entrepreneurs.

Black Homeownership

In 2021, Ronnie’s firm joined forces with eXp Realty. One of the main missions is to help the Black community have access to all that comes with homeownership.

“I come from a situation in Boston that we’re not supposed to make it out of,” Ronnie shared with AfroTech. “It’s hardcore, the projects of Boston, MA. And I didn’t see homeowners growing up until I became a homeowner myself. Just being able to pass my mom the keys to her house and begin to understand what equity is all about. And the fact that people use that equity to fund businesses, college for their children and all of these different things and not having access to that is definitely something that we speak to on the real estate side of things.”

Married4LifeWalk

Transparent about their own marriage, the DeVoes are also helping to create positive change for other couples.

They joined Married4LifeWalk, an initiative to support couples on their marriage journey, as ambassadors and vision partners.

"We Call Ourselves Marriage Ambassadors"

What’s more, they recently had their fifth Married4LifeWalk and will have their sixth annual one next year.

“We’re helping to save other marriages,” Shamari told us. “We call ourselves marriage ambassadors, which we are representatives for healthy marriages.”

She added: “We’ve all gone through challenges, but the key is not giving up. And working through your challenges for your families because that’s ultimately what we want. We want to save our families because they directly impact our community.”

Blavity TV

To hear more about what Ronnie and Shamari DeVoe credit for their longtime run in the music business, how they balance business and family, and what they plan to venture into next, tune in to the full interview on Blavity TV.