Triple Threat - Teenage trio sings dances and raps for youth empowerment

Four years ago, Madison teenagers Jhanae Harris and Makahya Drake were celebrating their first-place finish at the Madison Star Showcase talent competition. Out at Applebee’s, they were congratulated by other diners who had seen them sing and dance in the showcase. “People were telling us that we looked great together and that we might as well start a little group,” Harris says. “So we wrote our first song right there on a napkin.”

That group became Trilogy, a three-piece pop and hip-hop outfit fronted by the 17-year-old Harris, who goes by “Nae Nae.” Drake, 17, whose stage name is “Foxy,” is the other main vocalist, singing and rapping over beats provided by 15-year-old Toniece Allen, aka DJ T-Lite. All three attend La Follette High School. “We’re Trilogy not just because we’re three people, but because we sing, dance and rap,” Drake says. “We’re a triple threat.”

The group is managed by Greg Doby, a music industry veteran and producer who has worked with hip-hop artists like Bone Thugs-N-Harmony and Lloyd Banks. A former arts coordinator at the Boys & Girls Club of Dane County, Doby was asked by Harris’ mother if he would help coach the girls prior to the talent show. He recalls being immediately impressed by their wide range of talents and sparkling personalities. “They had the ‘it’ factor; I saw that early on,” says Doby, who is known affectionately by the girls as Uncle Greg. “I’ve been working with them ever since — recording, marketing, media, and the whole shebang.”

Trilogy’s music features tight vocal harmonies, classic hip-hop beats and polished production, all wrapped up in themes of girl and youth empowerment. “Our inspiration is a mixture of everything — inspiration from the kids arounds us, the whole environment, the issues that are going on,” Harris says. “The music that we write is very relatable and positive.” In May, Trilogy released a video produced by DJ Pain 1, “Never Walk Alone.”

Harris is the primary songwriter, with other members adding input. Her favorite artist is Beyoncé, but she draws from a variety of styles, including South Korean K-pop “and other weird stuff,” she says, laughing. Drake favors country and R&B, but she also loves bachata, a style of music from the Dominican Republic. “I