^^^
this thread is getting good
this thread is getting good
Who was YOUR fav 90s Hip Hop act that never blew up?
- Thread starter playahaitian
- Start date
Freestyle Fellowship!
oh snap
that was group back in the day
I really thought those dudes were gonna be the next big thing...
bgol hive mind
Always wished for Souls of Mischief and the entire Hieroglyphics collective to blow up even larger (and especially mainstream). Those dudes have made a great career the past 20 years ... with Souls, Del, Casual, etc. Just wish they were living large & paid/set for life. Those young kids were doin' the damn thing on the westcoast but when they're talked about on the hiphop scene ... they are more often recognized by the real heads, backpackers, and those familiar with that '93 stretch to 96/98. Shit ... as I've mentioned on BGOL before ... one of my homies in 9th grade (Korean kid) walked into class one day with the CD and told me it was the shit and to take it home and listen to it for a few days. I was sold from that point on! Went to their show in late-October 2003 in the city (Little Brother and others opened) and it was live as fuck. Small venue of probably 600 - 900 or so ... and the place was hopping. When Opio thanked everyone for the support and the then-10 year mark of their major run ... shit ... that BASS LINE hit ... people were amped. Goosebumps all up the forearms.
i got there whole catalog on my phone,
Spice 1 has 3 gold albums. Just didnt get love from magazine outlets, Rap City & Yo MTV raps. He was outselling Black Moon, Brand Nubians, Lords of the Underground & all them cats got there videos played everyday.
That was were the tension was coming from on the west coast.
The same for
DJ Quik 1 platinum & 3 gold LPs
West coast artist were moving units, but you wouldnt know it watching Rap City & YO.
This was my cat back in the day. I thank my dude Reggie back in the day for getting me hip to this dude. In Cleveland we had all rap, South, NY shit, West Coast - all of it.
These two tracks WENT HARD. Sh'Killa was wast coast and the first track was on that Ice Cube movie from 97 or so.
Before Wale was the voice of Washington DC, there was Questionmark Asylum. If you don’t know who I’m referring to don’t feel too bad, there’s not even a Wikipedia page on the group. The little known group consisting of four members: Mistafiss, Rosta Swan, Digge Dom, and Ding-Ding (love that last name) released one album on RCA before fading into Hip Hop oblivion. This was not due to the music, but timing and location. Their only album appropriately titled, The Album, was released in 1995 and was simply overshadowed by other albums now considered legendary. Other albums released that year include: Raekwon’s Only Built 4 Cuban Linx, Mobb Deep’s The Infamous, 2pac’s Me Against the World, and GZA’s Liquid Swords just to name a few. Being from Washington D.C. did not do them any favors. The rap world was consumed with East Coast vs. West Coast and if you weren’t taking shots at Biggie or 2pac, airplay and media hype was scarce.
The funny thing is if you listen to any of the tracks off the album you’re thinking these guys are coming straight from the golden state. They have that same distinct mid 90’s California sound you might expect from Pharcyde, Souls of Mischief, or The Coup. It’s the type of music you picture rolling down Crenshaw Blvd. or Venice on a warm summer’s day with palm trees surrounding your ride. Then again I’m sure it sounds just as good cruising down the mall in D.C. with Cherry Blossoms flanking your car. While you wouldn’t classify the sound as G-Funk, there’s undoubtedly some George Clinton/P-Funk influence in the beats. This sound is especially prevalent in songs like “Hey Lookaway”, “Freakazoid”, and “Get with You.”
Another factor that made Questionmark Asylum the red headed stepchild of the Hip-Hop community was their subject matter. Hip Hop was getting increasingly darker. It was before the Bling Bling movement of Cash Money in the late 90’s and right around the time Suge Knight was making members of Puffy’s entourage drinking cups of hot piss (literally). Every rapper had a shotty by the shower and was painting their Acura black with crack sale intentions. While other rappers were tallying their verbal homicides; Question Mark Asylum were slaying honey dips like Fillmore Slim. Nearly all 14 tracks on their album had to do with buttering biscuits and being cherries on top of ladies ice cream. This was not some sort of new phenomenon in Hip Hop i.e. 2 Live Crew and Too $hort, but it did kind of break away from the mold of their contemporaries.
So where are they now? Good question. They do have a myspace page and apparently Ding Ding passed away (RIP Ding Ding). They have one new video entitled “Sho’em What 2 Do Wit It” and if I were Ding Ding I would be less than impressed with the groups direction. It just sounds like some generic bullshit. This is not to take away from The Album, where all the tracks are pretty stellar. My favorite track would probably have to be “Get With You.” Other stand out tracks would have to be “We’re Thanking You”, “You Don’t Understand”, and “Hey Lookaway.” I would give “Got Dem Joints” an honorable mention. At first glance you might think that’s their weed smoking anthem on the album, but rather a cautionary tale of people who knowingly have H.I.V. giving it to other people.
So if you find yourself on a warm sunny day missing some classic fun loving Hip-Hop, go pick up a copy of The Album. They just don’t make MC’s like Ding Ding no more.
Written by Alex Burton
Blac Monks - Secrets of the Hidden Temple
These dudes out of TX Rap-A-Lot man that album was intelligent as hell. Secrets of the Hidden Temple...damn. Intelligent, but at the same time you could feel it and vibe with it. Intelligent Street.
Death Before Dishonor
Rumble in the Jungle
Buddah Nature (this shit went hard, the remix had that bullshit beat)
These dudes out of TX Rap-A-Lot man that album was intelligent as hell. Secrets of the Hidden Temple...damn. Intelligent, but at the same time you could feel it and vibe with it. Intelligent Street.
Death Before Dishonor
Rumble in the Jungle
Buddah Nature (this shit went hard, the remix had that bullshit beat)
To be honest with you, a lot of Christian rap artists have gotten funky as hell. Once you pay attention to the music and not so much the lyrics, as people already claim to do.
Chuckii made his money playing the keyboard for Janet Jackson. You see him in the "Black Cat" video. Besides he had two decent albums.
This album was '88. One of my favorite albums actually. The second album was ok. Third was garbage even though it was produced by Large Professor.
EST performed not too long ago. He writes for Beyonce and Mariah Carey.
Speaking of Large Professor, I picked Main Source and Pete Rock and CL Smooth.
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Yea he should have blew. He could never get from under Nas's shadow.
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