The beginnings of Destiny’s Child can be found in Houston when the 10-year old Beyonce Knowles met LaTavia Roberson while auditioning for a children’s group.  After Beyonce’s cousin, Kelly Rowland and a fourth member, LeToya Luckett joined the aspiring pop group in 1992 and 1993, the original lineup of Destiny’s Child was solidified.  Seeing the potential of this foursome, Matthew Knowles (father of Beyonce and legal guardian to Kelly) took the strange step of quitting his job and dedicating his life to taking Destiny’s Child to the big time.

After paying their dues throughout the country for several years, Destiny’s Child hit their first big break when Fugee’s member, Wyclef Jean, discovered their first independent album and decided to remix most of the material.  The fruits of this labor were evident on Destiny’s Child first album, Destiny’s Child.  Although the album produced the hit No, No, No, there seemed little to distinguish Destiny’s Child from the other aspiring female R&B bands that were attempting to take the pop throne that was claimed by such luminaries as En Vogue and TLC.

However, the world was completely unprepared for Destiny’s Child sophomore album, the 7 million selling The Writing on the Wall.  A certified classic, this album elevated Destiny’s Child to the top of the music world and produced classics like Bills, Bills, Bills, Say my Name, and Jumpin’, Jumpin’.  By this point, Destiny’s Child were enjoying its greatest success while also suffering through its worst trauma.  Original members, LaTavia Roberson and LeToya Luckett left the band after a falling out with Matthew Knowles.  The two members were quickly replaced by Michelle Williams and Farrah Franklin, although Farrah Franklin soon left the band due to Destiny’s Child exhaustive schedule.

This tumultuous period in the history of Destiny’s Child may have been a blessing as the lineup change resulted in the current Destiny’s Child lineup.  Beyonce, Kelly, and Michelle quickly reconvened and released their third album, Survivor, which was also a huge hit.  Beyonce soon had the distinction of adding a new word to the English lexicon as the Destiny’s Child hit that she wrote, Bootylicious, was added to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary.

Now acknowledged as stars, Destiny’s Child decided to take a break so its members could explore solo projects.  Many viewed this as the beginning of the end of Destiny’s Child, as it was obvious that Beyonce was going to become a huge star on her own.  While the solo records and acting experiences afforded to Michelle and Kelly should not be discounted, Beyonce’s solo record, Dangerously in Love, quickly established her as ”the hottest chick in the game,” as her boyfriend (and arguably best rapper alive) Jay-Z pointed out in his song, My Name is Hov.

However, with the release of Destiny Fulfilled, Destiny’s Child is showing the world once again that it is united and strong.  Although nobody expects Destiny’s Child to be the full-time project of these three beautiful and talented women, many will be surprised to see Beyonce take the Diano Ross route and ditch her band mates.  Although many are sad to see that Destiny’s Child will not be a full-time project, with their new album now is the time to enjoy Destiny’s Child while they’re still around.