There is so much more to Brooklyn, New York than meets the front page of the news. Long considered a breeding ground for crime, corruption, and untamed youth, the borough’s contributions to the world of music and culture have traditionally gone without notice– but they are there. Just think hip hop, and the names will begin rush into consciousness like a brain-freeze on a balmy summer afternoon: Special Ed, Notorious B.I.G., Jay-Z, M.O.P., DJ Premier, Mos Def, and of course, that army battalion-load of emcees known as the Boot Camp Clik.

The Cocoa Brovaz,Tek and Steele, are more than just survivors of this diverse and musically prolific environment; they are survivors of an industry that values the fattening of pockets above all else. Despite an early career rooted in critical and commercial success, the duo’s future would forever be altered by one key axiom: in the business of music, don’t nothing move but the money. Appearing under the name, Smif-N-Wessun, Tek and Steele’s first-ever recorded experience dates back to fellow ‘Bucktown’ representatives and Boot Camp members, Black Moon’s stellar LP, 1993’s Enta da Stage. Textured with the murky, dungeon-core production of Da Beatminerz, and crackling with the flavor of a reggae vocal long-forgotten, the collaboration would set the stage for the unique blend of sound clash street-speak which was to follow. And follow it did– nearly 2 years later, when the fast-rising pair dropped their groundbreaking Dah Shinin’ debut on Nervous Records. Acclaimed by both hip-hop and pop press alike, the record would feature an abundance of single-worthy cuts, including the now-classics, “Sound Bwoy Buriel”, “Stand Strong”, and “Bucktown.”And the fans liked it too, copping enough copies during its opening week to ensure both a #1 slot on Billboard’s Rap Album chart and #3 debut on its R&B measure– impressive stats for a new artist release in any genre.

“Dah Shinin’ was an era when hip-hop was just coming back from the West to the hardcore streets of New York, and you were proud to be a fan of it…that was kind of a renaissance time,” recalls Steele of the group’s first effort. But the release of Dah Shinin’ did more than just expand the musical catalogue of its producers, Da Beatminerz and extend the profile of its patois-speakin’, ganja-tokin’ authors, Tek and Steele; it also solidified residential crew, Boot Camp Clik as one of the game’s most explosive and prolific new rhyming factions.

Although the acclaim would continue to pour in long after the debut’s release, the accompanying honeymoon of high spirits would come to a screeching halt. In a move that both members feel was motivated by politics, ignorance, and jealousy, Tek and Steele would be forced to surrender the name, “Smif-N-Wessun” to a gun company who cited confusion amongst its customer base. Tek makes no effort to mince words, laying out his feelings of anger and embitterment in a future rhyme: “sent me multi-page contracts just to prove it/with trademarks on belt buckles, shirts and knives/ain’t that the most off the wall shit you hear in your life?” But the legal woes did not end there. The close of the name suit was met by another- an ugly, drawn out dispute which eventually forced the group to take leave of their first label home in search of greener, less ’shady’ pastures.

“We had to sit back and look at everything that was going on and realize this is a business,” reiterates Steele. “We jumped into this as a youth, just ready to get on, write rhymes and see the world. We wasn’t thinkin’ about business. We were thinking about having some fun and getting G’s. We learned that with fame comes responsibility.”Following up a period spent unduly far from a studio, the duo’s opportunity to record its much-anticipated sophomore LP, Rude Awakening in 1998 served as both a sounding board for its ever-evolving musical vibe and group therapy session through which to vent its feelings towards corporate hip-hop. The Rude Awakening was the first release for Tek and Steeles on the crews owned and operated Duck Down Enterprizes, and one of several Boot Camp Clik projects to bear the tag of newfound distributor, Priority Records. But most significantly of all, the album would also represent the artists’ first venture under newly adopted name, Cocoa Brovaz.

With their creative freedom back in hand, Tek and Steele settled back into the familiar task of making music. But rather than succumb to the pressures of convention, the pair elected to focus on singles and guest appearances in place of putting together it’s third album. Recounts Steele: “around this time, the game changed drastically. Cats started putting out albums two at a time. There was no more taking your time with your work, it (became) beat the next mutha fucka out with the hits. In that time we just coasted, put out a song here, a song there.”During this 3-year period, the Cocoa Brovaz dropped vocals on a variety of different projects, both Boot Camp-inclusive and otherwise, the most notable of which was an underground single called “Super Brooklyn.” Although the group was never able to receive clearance of the song’s sample (which was appropriated from the video game classic, Super Mario Bros ) in order to give it the release that it deserved, the cut did generate a significant amount of buzz worldwide, becoming a fixture in the nightclubs and on the hard drives of MP3 fiends everywhere. Other notable contributions range from Bounty Killer’s “It’s a Party”, to Black Moon’s “Frame”, to Da Beatminerz’ “Extreme Situations.”Though the writing had been inscribed on the wall for some time, Duck Down Enterprisez would dissolve whatever threads remained of its relationship with distributor, Priority in early 2000. However, even without a major distribution deal in hand, the unit’s hard-earned respect and proven ability to sell units would permit them to pursue the quality of options that most unsigned artists could not. One such option came not too long after the success of “Super Brooklyn”, when the opportunity to submit a cut to Rawkus Records’ Lyricist Lounge Vol.2 became available.

Released as the LP’s second single and produced by Cincinnati’s Hi-Tek, the product of this working relationship with Rawkus was “Get Up”, a popular club effort which helped vault the release to seldom-achieved gold certification. Deciding that the timing and conditions were favorable, the Cocoa Brovaz along with their label Duck Down Records would agree to release their third LP, tentatively titled Still Shinin’ through a joint venture with the Rawkus label shortly thereafter.

In addition to the familiar and always effective crate-work of Da Beatminerz, the album will also feature the eclectic and disparately dope stylings of Pete Rock, Easy Mo Bee, Rick Rock, and Tha Liks’ E-Swift. Says Steele: “this album makes me feel more comfortable than the last album because (on) the last album we really had to start from scratch. It was a big step for us going from Nervous to our own venture.” “That’s why the album is titled Still Shinin’, he continues. “We want the fans to know that we in tuned with their wants, desires, and needs. ” But he adds: “I wanted to call it ‘Smif-N-Wessun.’ I’m still fighting for that name there.”

Bio By: http://www.duckdown.com/artists/cocoabrovaz_new.php

Remembered for a couple of striking singles and their membership in the Native Tongues family of groups, Black Sheep also recorded one of rap music’s most entertaining

Nano May debuts, A Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing. Handling both production and delivery, Dres and Mista Lawnge appeared headed for a long, rewarding career, but unfortunately faded after the release of their long-delayed sophomore set.

Both members, Andre Titus (Dres) and William McLean (Mista Lawnge), were natives of New York who grew up in North Carolina, Titus the son of a military man. Both were also hip-hop fans during the mid-’80s, Dres as an MC and Mista Lawnge as a DJ. Looking for a record contract, Lawnge moved to New York — where he’d spent time as a child — and played a gig with DJ Red Alert, who introduced him to Mike Gee of the Jungle Brothers. Gee’s connection to the newly christened Native Tongues family (headed by Afrika Bambaataa along with Queen Latifah) inspired Lawnge to form Black Sheep and recruit Dres as the group’s MC. The duo’s first release, “Flavor of the Month,” was one of the hottest rap singles of 1991, and the ascendancy of Native Tongues groups De la Soul and A Tribe Called Quest only improved Black Sheep’s fortunes. Their debut album, A Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing, released on Mercury late that year, hit number 30 on the album charts and the next single, “The Choice Is Yours,” was an MTV hit (thanks to director Chuck Stone’s video) and a surprising success at college radio (aside from specialty shows, rap rarely appeared on college play lists). The album eventually moved close to one million copies, and the pair appeared on the Brand New Heavies’ Heavy Rhyme Experience, Vol. 1 next to the era’s hottest rappers: Main Source, Gang Starr, Kool G Rap, and the Pharcyde.

Black Sheep’s follow-up, Non-Fiction, was doomed from the start. Released in 1994, the record received close to zero promotion and lacked the imagination of A Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing. The single “Without a Doubt” got a little airplay, but the duo split soon after. Both worked on varying projects, and Dres released his solo debut, Sure Shot Redemption, in 1999. (One year later, he appeared in the film Once in the Life, Laurence Fishburne’s debut as a director, playing a bagman for a drug kingpin.) Black Sheep reunited to produce a track for the film’s soundtrack, toured with Das EFX, and announced the recording of a new album. ~ John Bush, All Music Guide

Bio By: http://www.vh1.com/artists/az/black_sheep_2_/bio.jhtml

Pete Rock first exploded onto the music scene in the late eighties as a DJ on New York radio station WBLS “In Control with Marley Marl,” which aired every Friday and Saturday night. With a solid fan base behind him, Pete decided he wanted to expand his musical talents, so in the early 90’s Pete began producing. Not content with being a producer and DJ, Pete hooked up with long time friend and rapper CL Smooth in 1991. The rest as they say is history. Today Pete Rock is regarded as an icon in hip hop.

With the release of the EP ‘All Souled Out’ in 1991 and two full-length albums ‘Mecca & The Soul Brother’ in 1992 and ‘Main Ingredient’ in 1994, Pete Rock & CL Smooth became a major force in the rap community. After the solid Mecca/Creator 12″, the duo unleashed one of those all-time classic LP’s every MC dreams of having, “Mecca & The Soul Brother”. This album should serve as a model for what every hip-hop producer should strive for when they lay down tracks for an artist. Very rarely do you ever come across close to 80 minutes of music with little need to skip to the next track. That’s how good this album is. Quite a few of the songs on here are very monumental:

‘They Reminisce Over You’, ‘Straighten It Out’, ‘Ghettos
Of The Mind’, and even ‘Lots Of Lovin’ to name a few…

These are the types of songs that can literally make you cry – damn, they were playing TROY at funerals everywhere. While riding high on their success, Pete Rock & CL Smooth shocked their fans and the music industry by deciding to go their separate ways in 1994. Pete continued to work on his remix and producing skills – see discography below. In 1995 Chris LaMonica, National Director of Mix Shows at Loud Records hooked up with Pete who was now the DJ for Future Flavas with Marley Marl on Hot 97. From building a promotional relationship with Pete, Chris was able to bring the talent of Pete Rock to Loud, which resulted in the birth of a solo career.
Pete’s debut solo album on Loud Records ‘Soul Survivor’ was released in the summer of 1998. The album featured guest appearances from Raekwon (Wu Tang Clan), The Roots, OC, Rob-O, Black Thought (The Roots), CL Smooth and Kool G Rap.

In early 2000 BBE hooked up with Pete Rock and he decided to produce an eclectic beats album for our BEAT GENERATION series. Alongside Pete’s extensive record collection, he inherited from his fathers’ record collection a rich variety of music, which he and BBE both decided should be reflected on this groundbreaking release. The fusion of reggae, jazz, pop, folk, rock and soul would lace this intricate project. A scattering of MC tracks are present to wet the appetite’s of Pete’s traditional fan base. All three MC cuts feature a new crew called the UN. The UN features Rock Marciano from Busta Rhymes posse – Flipmode Squad and newcomers Divine, Godfree and Laku.

Though the controversial subject matter of gangsta rap wasn’t much of a barrier to popular success during the ’90s, the Geto Boys’ recordings proved almost too extreme for widespread exposure. Blocked from distributing their 1990 major-label debut by Geffen — who insisted that a track dealing with necrophilia as well as murder was a step too far — the group was saved by producer Rick Rubin, who arranged another distributor for the album, released on his own Def American label. The controversy, which occurred two years earlier than similar censorship incidents involving Ice-T and 2 Live Crew, gave the Geto Boys a large amount of publicity. Their follow-up, We Can’t Be Stopped, eventually hit platinum, though the trio of Scarface, Willie D., and Bushwick Bill began to fracture by 1993. After releasing solo albums during the mid-’90s, the Geto Boys reunited in 1996 for their most praised album yet, The Resurrection.

When the Geto Boys came together in 1986, though, it was with a completely different lineup. Formed as the Ghetto Boys in Houston by rap entrepreneur James “Lil’ J” Smith (and signed to his Rap-A-Lot label), the group originally consisted of Prince Johnny C., the Slim Jukebox, and DJ Reddy Red. During 1987-1988, both Johnny C. and the Jukebox quit, forcing Smith to add a dwarf-dancer-turned-rapper named Bushwick Bill (born Richard Shaw, Jamaica) and two Rap-A-Lot solo acts: Ackshen (aka Scarface born Brad Jordan, Houston) and Willie ‘D’ Dennis (born Houston).

After the Geto Boys’ Grip It! On That Other Level caught the ear of hip-hop impresario Rick Rubin (LL Cool J, Beastie Boys), Rubin re-mixed and re-recorded tracks from the album. He was ready to release it on his Def American label in 1990 when distributor Geffen balked at “Mind of a Lunatic,” a track which described necrophilia with a murder victim. By late 1990, Rubin had found another distributor, Giant Records, and the album was released — as The Geto Boys — that same year.

The Geto Boys’ association with controversy was far from over, though; rap groups were a hot topic for moral-minded politicians during the early ’90s, and several leaders used the Geto Boys as an example to decry the state of modern music. The fires were fanned in 1991 with the release of the group’s second proper LP, We Can’t Be Stopped. Before the release of the album, Bushwick Bill had lost an eye in a shooting incident with his girlfriend, and the cover featured Willie D. and Scarface wheeling Bill into an emergency room, with a prominent shot of the damaged eye. Inside the album, proceedings were among the most extreme in the history of recorded music. Obviously, radio airplay was non-existent, but We Can’t Be Stopped still went platinum in early 1992 — thanks to the underground hit “Mind Playing Tricks on Me,” one of the most effective inner-city vignettes in hip-hop history.

By 1993, all three members had begun solo careers, though Willie D. was the only one completely separated from the band, citing artistic differences. Scarface and Bill continued with new member Big Mike, releasing Uncut Dope in 1993 and Makin’ Trouble the following year, but split late in 1994. Just one year later, Willie D. returned to the fold for another Geto Boys release, The Resurrection, which showed the group in fine form. Now it was Bushwick Bill’s turn to leave the group. DMG took his place for 1998’s Da Good, Da Bad & Da Ugly but returned for the group’s 2005 reunion album, The Foundation. ~ John Bush, All Music Guide

To many present-day listeners, DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince are best-remembered for launching the superstar music/acting career of the latter, now known by his real name of Will Smith. In their heyday, however, the Philadelphia duo played a major role in making rap music accessible to pop audiences, as well as younger listeners. Smith’s raps were never anything more than PG-rated, and his genial, winning personality came through in the good-humored stories that many of his best raps wove. His partner, Jeff Townes, was one of Philadelphia’s best DJs, an inventive scratcher who provided appropriately playful backdrops. At a time when rap wanted to establish itself as the authentic voice of the streets, DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince were often ridiculed as bubblegum kiddie rap — they weren’t aggressive, outraged, gritty, or urban enough to fit the prevailing hip-hop fashion of the time. However, in hindsight, it’s clear that the duo’s appeal was a natural result of simply being themselves, not from pandering to middle-class youth or posing as something they weren’t. That’s why the best of their work still sounds lively, full of youthful energy and breezy wit, and ranks as some of the most infectious pop-rap of its time.

DJ Jazzy Jeff (born Jeffrey Townes, January 22, 1965) and the Fresh Prince (born Willard Smith, September 25, 1968) got together in 1986, when they performed together at a house party after years of separately pursuing hip-hop around the Philadelphia area. Later that year, they performed at the New Music Seminar, where Jeff placed first in the DJ competition; the attention helped them land a record deal with Jive and the Fresh Prince turned down his acceptance into M.I.T. Their first single, “Girls Ain’t Nothing But Trouble,” was built around a sample of the theme from “I Dream of Jeannie,” and the humorous video began to build the duo an audience through MTV. It helped their 1987-released debut album, Rock the House, go gold and set the stage for their breakthrough success with the 1988 follow-up He’s the D.J., I’m the Rapper. One of the first double-LP sets in rap history (thanks to a number of tracks showcasing Jeff’s turntable artistry), it also became one of the genre’s biggest sellers up to that point, moving more than 2.5 million copies after the comic video for “Parents Just Don’t Understand” became a runaway hit on MTV. A playful riff on the generation gap, “Parents Just Don’t Understand” hit number 12 on the singles charts, went gold, and won the first-ever rap Grammy; the duo toured extensively behind it, aided in their dealings with concert promoters by their non-threatening image.

Hip-hop, however, was an extraordinarily difficult field in which to sustain career momentum. Even though it was released only a year later, And in This Corner… failed to generate nearly as much attention — despite going gold — partly because the lead single, “I Think I Can Beat Mike Tyson,” failed to catch fire. The album was also hurt by a rapidly changing hip-hop climate; De La Soul’s rapturously received debut, 3 Feet High and Rising, had succeeded in bringing positivity and humor to hip-hop with less of a comic-novelty flavor and seemingly countless new pop-rap fads were springing up by the minute. Fortunately, Smith’s performances in the duo’s videos had attracted notice in the television world. Convinced of Smith’s potential to become a warm, charismatic, clean-cut star in the acting world, NBC gave him a starring role in a sitcom named after his rap persona, The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, which followed a young Philadelphian sent to live with his rich relatives in California to keep out of trouble. Although Smith wasn’t yet a seasoned actor, executives were correct about his comic appeal and the show became a hit, running for six seasons; Townes was given a recurring role as Smith’s character’s street-wise friend (aptly dubbed Jazz).

Although Smith had taken a hiatus from DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince to concentrate on getting his sitcom off the ground, the duo reconvened in 1991, buoyed by their increased visibility. Featuring more outside productions, Homebase returned Townes and Smith to the platinum sales mark and produced their biggest hit ever in the warm, laid-back party tune “Summertime,” where Smith nostalgically reminisced about summers growing up in Philadelphia in a way that appealed to listeners of all ages. “Summertime” became their first and only Top Five pop hit, peaking at number four. A follow-up LP, Code Red, was released in 1993, but didn’t sell very well at all in the U.S.; oddly, the single “Boom! Shake the Room” became their first number one hit in the U.K. Nonetheless, Smith decided to focus full-time on his acting career, appearing in the critically acclaimed Six Degrees of Separation (also in 1993). Proving he could cut it on the big screen, Smith went on to star in numerous big-budget Hollywood blockbusters, including Independence Day, Men in Black, Enemy of the State, Wild Wild West, and Ali (the latter of which earned him an Oscar nomination); he also returned to music as a solo artist, selling millions more albums than he did with DJ Jazzy Jeff thanks to his enormous exposure. Townes, meanwhile, formed a production company called A Touch of Jazz, and worked as a producer and mixer for several hip-hop and R&B artists (including a few of Smith’s solo cuts). ~ Steve Huey, All Music Guide

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Derrick Jones, 19 June 1970, Bronx, New York, USA. An important member of the Boogie Down Productions crew, Jones became the group’s DJ and beatbox having

befriended Scott La Rock. D-Nice finally stepped out into the solo spotlight with 1990’s Call Me D-Nice. KRS-One kept tabs on his old partner by adding his vocals to cuts like “The TR-808 Is Coming”, which boasted of his familiar 808-derived sound. However, D-Nice also struck out on his own groove, straying into more commercial musical territory, and sticking to the self-aggrandisement themes of old school rappers rather than KRS-One’s more socially aware themes. There were only two exceptions: “Glory”, which measured the role of the black man in the American Civil War, a theme touched on in the film of the same name, and “A Few Dollars More”, which painted a sympathetic portrait of inner city poverty. The album gave him two number 1 US rap singles with “Crumbs Off The Table” and the title track, “Call Me D-Nice”. For his second album he invited Too Short, KRS-One, Naughty By Nature and funk guitarist Jean-Paul Bourelly along for the party. Though he was branching out musically, “Rhyming Skills” continued the path laid by “The Tr-808 Is Coming”, with its bass-heavy, stomping arrangement. There were also cuts like the pro-feminist “Get In Touch With Me” which contrasted with the “bitch and ho baitin” “Check Yourself”. Though he has found some commercial reward after stepping out from behind the turntable, the more pleasing aspects of his solo work remain his funk-based deck skills.

One of the most successful female pop-rap groups of all time, Salt ‘N’ Pepa formed in the mid-’80s when Cheryl “Salt” James and Jamaican-born Sandy “Pepa” Denton met while working at Sears in New York City. Another co-worker Hurby “Luv Bug” Azor, was studying record production at the Center of Media Arts, and asked

James and Denton to record for him as a class project.An answer record to Doug E. Fresh and the Get Fresh Crew’s “The Show”, titled “The Showstopper,” was released as a single in late 1985 on Pop Art Records and reached No. 46 on the Billboard R&B chart. After signing to Next Plateau Records, adopting the stage name Salt ‘N’ Pepa, and recruiting a female high school student DJ named “Spinderella,” the duo released Hot, Cool, and Vicious in 1986, written and produced by Azor. The album languished until DJs began playing “Push It” in 1987, sending it to No. 19 and “pushing” the record to platinum sales, a breakthrough for the female rappers.

Salt ‘N’ Pepa’s 1988 follow-up, A Salt With a Deadly Pepa, went gold thanks to the minor single “Shake Your Thang” (featuring EU), which reached No. 22 in the U.K. Because Azor was increasingly working with other rappers (such as Kid-N-Play), Salt ‘N’ Pepa began writing their own material, debuting their new style on 1990’s Blacks’ Magic. The album went platinum thanks to singles like “Expression,” “Do You Want Me” and the AIDS-inspired “Let’s Talk About Sex.”

After taking some time off, Salt ‘N’ Pepa returned in 1993 with Very Necessary, a triple-platinum effort that featured the No. 3 hit “Whatta Man,” featuring En Vogue. After appearing at the Woodstock ‘94 festival, Salt ‘N’ Pepa signed a new multi-million dollar contract with RCA. The duo has also contributed several soundtrack cuts and pursued other projects, such as minor film parts and a chain of clothing stores.

Their long-awaited fifth album, Brand New, was released in late 1997 and was produced by Denton and James. It failed to make the headway of their prior efforts.