DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince
Who would have guessed that Will “The Fresh Prince” Smith would be where he is today? Or even “Jazzy” Jeff Townes for that matter? Obviously this was one bright duo. Appearing on the scene in the mid 80s, this light-hearted, carefree rap duo scored with hits such as “Parents Just Don’t Understand” and “Girls In The World Ain’t Nothin But Trouble”. But it was 1991’s “Homebase” album featuring their biggest hit “Summertime” that really marked the peak for this act. By 1991, Will had already gone broke, but was scooped up by Benny Medina and starring on NBC every Monday night (with Jazzy Jeff as a guest star) on “The Fresh Prince of Bel Air”.
As the years rolled on, the significance of these two men only increased, and they are one of a handful of New Jack era entertainers who are still around enjoying even more commercial success than they did back then.
DJ Quick
...bio coming soon!
Dana Dane
...bio coming soon!
De La Soul
Formed in 1985, De La Soul were founding members of the Native Toungues hip-hop collective, known for introducing the D.A.I.S.Y. age (Da Inner Self, Y’all) to hip-hop. De La Soul’s emphasis was on artistic creativity and originality and they shunned commercial success as much as they could (much to the delight of underground hip-hop fans). However, De La Soul’s “Me, Myself & I” and “Buddy” singles are qunitissential New Jack Swing cuts – the former even sampling Parliament Funkadelic. “Buddy” was nominated for a Grammy in 1990, but it was beat out by Young M.C.’s “Bust A Move” that year.
By the early 1990s, De La Soul had abandoned its former “hippie” image (flowery, colorful attire) – they felt it was drawing too much attention from the message in their music. Now De La Soul’s core audience may very well be from the suburbs (along with other old-school rappers like Big Daddy Kane and Biz Markie) -- and that’s probably just fine with De La Soul, as long as someone is hearing their message…
D-Mob
This UK-based house/dance act featured future solo singer Cathy Denis, and scored a hit with "C'mon & Get My Love" in 1989.
Digital Underground
After scoring a #1 hit in the Netherlands entitled “Underwater Rimes”, Digital Underground (led by Shock-G) was signed to Tommy Boy records in 1989, and that summer, their single “Doowutchyalike” became a substantial underground hit. By the spring of 1990 however, D.U. had released both their debut album ‘Sex Packets’, and their biggest single, “The Humpty Dance” featuring Shock-G’s alter-ego, Humpty-Hump. The Sex Packets album also featured D.U.’s most classic recording to this day, “Freaks of The Industry”.
Editors’s Note: That spring on Casey’s Top-40, I specifically remember hearing Casey Kasem describe the story of Humpty-Hump. It went something like this: Humpty-Hump was an aspiring R&B singer who was working in a fast food restaurant one day when a pipe burst behind him, forcing his face into a pan of frying oil. This painful-sounding accident disfigured Humpty-Hump’s nose and damaged his vocal cords, so he had to give up singing, become a rapper and wear the fake nose to cover what really happened. I don’t think I was the only one who believed it…this was before it was widely known that Shock-G and Humpty-Hump were one and the same!
In the summer of 1991, Digital Underground returned with a six-song album entitled ‘This Is An EP Release’, and this EP featured “Same Song”, the first track to feature future icon, the late, great Tupac Shakur. (“Same Song” was also featured in the film “Nothing But Trouble” in 1991). Later that fall, D.U. released ‘Sons Of The P’, with “Kiss You Back” serving as the group’s lead single – it would be their last commercially successful release as well.
Members from D.U. formed a spin-off group entitled Raw Fusion, and while they released two albums, only 1991’s ‘Live From The Styleetron’ spawned a hit, and that was “Throw Your Hands In The Air”. In 1993 however, former D.U. dancer, guest rapper and roadie Tupac Shakur (also known as 2Pac) had become an accomplished actor and MC. He invited Shock G and Money B record verses with him on his hit “I Get Around”, a song that brought back the fun, zany feel that D.U. was so good at. “I Get Around” can accurately be described as the last “huge” record recorded in the D.U. style…
Digital Underground enjoyed their heyday during the more light-hearted New Jack Era – the Gangtsa Rap soundscape between 1992 and 1996 proved inhospitable for the act. However, Digital Underground receives airplay at least once a week in nightclubs and parties all over the world, thanks to the hits “Freaks of The Industry” and “The Humpty Dance”.
Dino
...bio coming soon!
Doug E. Fresh (and the Get Fresh Crew)
Known for his trend-setting Beat-Box skills, Doug E. Fresh first made noise with his performing partner Ricky D (later known as Slick Rick) on the songs “The Show” and “La Di Da Di”. Doug E. Fresh also scored big during the New Jack Era with the singles “Keep Rising To The Top” and “Summertime”. Hearing Doug E. Fresh on wax was cool, but it could never compare to seeing him live. Doug E. Fresh has earned his place as a Hip-Hop icon.
The D.O.C.
This Texas-born rapper made a huge impression in 1989 during the New Jack Era when he dropped his debut album, ‘Nobody Does It Better’, as an N.W.A. affiliate. With two hit singles (“Is It Funky Enough?”, “The Formula”), things looked excellent for the D.O.C. until he got into a near-fatal accident on his way to his home in Calabasas, California. The accident permanently damaged his vocal cords, crippling the menacing delivery he was previously capable of, but Dre. Dre still included him on skits for Death Row records albums like ‘The Chronic’ and ‘DoggyStyle’.
The Dream Warriors
Based out of Toronto, Canada – these jazz rappers helped lay down the foundation for future jazz/alternative hip-hop such as Digable Planets and the Fugees. With two smash singles throughout Canada and the U.K. (1990’s “Wash Your Face In My Sink” and 1991’s “My Definition of A Boombastic Jazz Style”), the Dream Warriors proved to be quite influential on the hip-hop scene. The latter single employed a Quincy Jones sample not unlike the theme from Austin Powers. The critically acclaimed album ‘And Now The Legacy Begins’, even earned the Dream Warriors a Juno Award (Canadian equivalent of a Grammy) in 1992. However after a lackluster follow-up in 1994, the group has faded into obscurity.