Biz Markie's inclination toward juvenile humor and his fondness for goofy, tuneless, half-sung choruses camouflaged his true talents as a freestyle rhymer. The Biz may not have been able to translate his wild rhyming talents to tape, but what he did record was worthwhile in its own way. With his silly humor and inventive, sample-laden... [+] Read More

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A Harlem rap ensemble, the Boogie Boys scored one big hit in 1985 with "A Fly Girl," for Capitol, that peaked at number six on the R&B charts. William "Boogie Knight" Stroman, Joe "Romeo J.D." Malloy, and Rudy "Lil' Rahiem" Sheriff comprised the group. But things went downhill after that promising start, and by 1988 Sheriff had left the group.... [+] Read More

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Rapper Dee Dee King is actually rocker Dee Dee Ramone going through a whopping identity crisis in the late '80s. As Ramones drummer Marky Ramone put it, "Dee Dee isn't a rap artist, he's a rock artist. I thought it was sort of unusual. One day he started wearing Mercedes Benz chains around his neck and gold rings. It was crazy. You know, I... [+] Read More

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At the time of its 1989 release, De La Soul's debut album, 3 Feet High and Rising, was hailed as the future of hip-hop. With its colorful, neo-psychedelic collage of samples and styles, plus the Long Island trio's low-key, clever rhymes and goofy humor, the album sounded like nothing else in hip-hop. Where most of their contemporaries drew... [+] Read More

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A popular radio personality and rap archivist, Red Alert is known for breaking the careers of many in hip-hop's elite, including Boogie Down Productions, Black Sheep, A Tribe Called Quest, and the Jungle Brothers. Red Alert began his career by working for Afrika Bambaataa and the Zulu Nation. After working his way through the ranks and becoming... [+] Read More

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The World Class Wreckin' Cru recorded some solid West Coast electro with Dr. Dre in the production chair, hitting the pop charts with a smooth love jam named "Turn Off the Lights" during 1988, the same year Dre's N.W.A. delivered the gangsta landmark Straight Outta Compton. The group was formed by Lonzo (Alonzo Williams), owner of the Compton... [+] Read More

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The forerunner to Club Nouveau, the Timex Social Club had one huge hit in 1986, the R&B chart-topper "Rumors." It peaked at number eight pop, and featured Michael Marshall's vocals. The two follow-up singles, "Thinkin' About Ya" and "Mixed Up World," both made the R&B Top 20, but producer Jay King shortly afterward formed his own band, Club... [+] Read More

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Miles off the radar of popular music during the early '80s, Trouble Funk energized their D.C. home with the sound of go-go music, an uproarious blend of swinging, up-tempo '70s funk and a '60s-style horn section. The band formed in 1978, and the lineup coalesced around drummer Emmet Nixon, percussionists Mack Carey and Timothius Davis, guitarist... [+] Read More

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U.T.F.O. was a Brooklyn, NY-based rap group, comprised of the Kangol Kid, Doctor Ice, the Educated Rapper, and Mix Master Ice. The quartet first met as dancers for Whodini, before forming U.T.F.O. (which stood for "Untouchable Force Organization") in 1983. Early on, the group referred to themselves as "the Village People of Rap," due to the fact... [+] Read More

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