Digital Underground
Encyclopedia
Digital Underground was an alternative hip hop
Alternative hip hop
Alternative hip hop is a sub-genre of hip hop music. Allmusic defines it as follows: -Origin:...

 group from Oakland, California
Oakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...

. It could have been considered a music "family" rather than a group, as its personnel changed and rotated with each album and tour.

Digital Underground's leader was Greg "Shock G
Shock G
Gregory E. Jacobs , known by the stage names Shock G and Humpty Hump, is an American musician and rapper, known as the lead vocalist for the hip hop group Digital Underground...

" Jacobs (also known as Humpty Hump); Shock G formed the group in 1987 with Jimi "Chopmaster J" Dright of Berkeley, California
Berkeley, California
Berkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington...

, and Tampa hip-hop radio deejay Kenneth "Kenny-K" Waters.

Heavily influenced by the various funk
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...

 bands of the 1970s, Digital Underground sampled such music frequently, which became a defining element of West Coast rap. As "Rackadelic", Jacobs designed album covers and cartoon-laced liner notes, in homage
Homage
Homage is a show or demonstration of respect or dedication to someone or something, sometimes by simple declaration but often by some more oblique reference, artistic or poetic....

 to Parliament-Funkadelic album designs. Digital Underground is also notable for launching the career of member Tupac Shakur
Tupac Shakur
Tupac Amaru Shakur , known by his stage names 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper and actor. Shakur has sold over 75 million albums worldwide as of 2007, making him one of the best-selling music artists in the world...

, as well as spinning off side projects and solo acts including Raw Fusion
Raw Fusion
Raw Fusion was a spin-off project from Digital Underground emcee Money-B, with DJ talent provided by DU contributor DJ Fuze. Their albums contained cameos by many of the Digital Underground crew, including Shock G and 2Pac...

, Saafir
Saafir
Reggie Gibson, better known as Saafir is an emcee, producer and actor from Oakland, California. After moving from Fresno, California to Oakland, he lived with Tupac Shakur and became a dancer for Digital Underground...

, and female singer Mystic
Mystic (singer)
Mystic is a hip hop artist hailing from the San Francisco Bay Area. Raised by her mother , she lived in rural California, Hawaii, and Oregon before settling in her eventual home base, Oakland, California.Early on in her musical career, she collaborated with fellow female producer The Angel and...

.

Following the release of their "Doowutchyalike" single and video in the summer of 1989, and the band's gained popularity by their song "The Humpty Dance
The Humpty Dance
"The Humpty Dance" is a 1990 hip hop song by Digital Underground, which was featured on their debut album Sex Packets. The single climbed all the way to #11 on the pop charts, #7 on the R&B charts, and #1 on the Billboard Rap Singles chart...

" in 1990, Digital Underground toured nearly every year up until 2008; this consisted of thousands of live shows in Europe, Japan, Canada, Australia, and the U.S. While the group's origins lay mostly in Oakland and Berkeley, California, various characters and voices from around the U.S. appeared on the band's albums, while Shock G and Money-B were the only individuals to appear on every album. Other recurring key contributors were David "DJ Fuze" Elliot, and deejay/producer Jeremy "J-Beats" Jackson, who both assisted Jacobs in developing the sound.

The group appeared in and donated music to the 1991 film Nothing but Trouble, which was directed by Dan Aykroyd
Dan Aykroyd
Daniel Edward "Dan" Aykroyd, CM is a Canadian comedian, actor, screenwriter, musician, winemaker and ufologist. He was an original cast member of Saturday Night Live, an originator of The Blues Brothers and Ghostbusters and has had a long career as a film actor and screenwriter.-Early...

.

After approximately twenty years of touring, Shock G announced that the group would officially disband in 2008. Shortly after that announcement was made, the group also confirmed that their May 2008 album ..Cuz A d.u. Party Don't Stop! would be their last studio effort.

Formation

Jacobs spent most of his youth in Tampa, Florida
Tampa, Florida
Tampa is a city in the U.S. state of Florida. It serves as the county seat for Hillsborough County. Tampa is located on the west coast of Florida. The population of Tampa in 2010 was 335,709....

 and New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

. Founded in 1987, the group's image was originally more militant, and was intended to be a tribute to social activists The Black Panthers. However, when Public Enemy became a prominent band, Jacobs chose to take the image in a more whimsical direction.

Sex Packets

Sex Packets
Sex Packets
- LP :-Cassette:The cassette version of the album has 3 extra tracks, plus an extended version of "Gutfest '89"...

, the group's debut album, was released in the spring of 1990 following the success of its two leadoff singles. First came "Doowutchyalike," a moderate club hit, followed by the more successful song "The Humpty Dance
The Humpty Dance
"The Humpty Dance" is a 1990 hip hop song by Digital Underground, which was featured on their debut album Sex Packets. The single climbed all the way to #11 on the pop charts, #7 on the R&B charts, and #1 on the Billboard Rap Singles chart...

", a humorous dance number that reached #11 on the pop charts, #7 on the R&B charts, and #1 on the Billboard Rap Singles chart. It was rapped by Shock G's alter ego
Alter ego
An alter ego is a second self, which is believe to be distinct from a person's normal or original personality. The term was coined in the early nineteenth century when dissociative identity disorder was first described by psychologists...

 Humpty Hump, and featured a drumtrack with over 50 confirmed usages in other songs. Sex Packets features P-Funk
P-Funk
P-Funk is a shorthand term for the repertoire and performers associated with George Clinton and the Parliament-Funkadelic collective and the distinctive style of funk music they performed...

 samples, jazz-influenced interludes, and a combination of samples and live instrumentation, earning it positive reviews and platinum
RIAA certification
In the United States, the Recording Industry Association of America awards certification based on the number of albums and singles sold through retail and other ancillary markets. Other countries have similar awards...

 sales.

This is an EP Release

This is an EP Release
This is an EP Release
This is an EP Release is the RIAA Gold certified second Digital Underground release, from which "Tie the Knot" and "Same Song" were featured in the film Nothing But Trouble starring Dan Aykroyd, Chevy Chase, Demi Moore, and John Candy...

is the RIAA Gold certified second Digital Underground release, from which two songs, "Tie the Knot" and "Same Song" were featured in the film Nothing But Trouble starring Dan Aykroyd
Dan Aykroyd
Daniel Edward "Dan" Aykroyd, CM is a Canadian comedian, actor, screenwriter, musician, winemaker and ufologist. He was an original cast member of Saturday Night Live, an originator of The Blues Brothers and Ghostbusters and has had a long career as a film actor and screenwriter.-Early...

, Chevy Chase
Chevy Chase
Cornelius Crane "Chevy" Chase is an American comedian, writer, and television and film actor, born into a prominent entertainment industry family. Chase worked a plethora of odd jobs before moving into comedy acting with National Lampoon...

, Demi Moore
Demi Moore
Demi Guynes Kutcher , known professionally as Demi Moore, is an American actress. After minor roles in film and a role in the soap opera General Hospital, Moore established her career in films such as St...

, and John Candy
John Candy
John Franklin Candy was a Canadian actor and comedian. He rose to fame as a member of the Toronto branch of The Second City and its related Second City Television series, and through his appearances in comedy films such as Stripes, Splash, Cool Runnings, The Great Outdoors, Spaceballs, and Uncle...

. "Tie The Knot," features jazzy piano tracks and a comedic interpretation of "Bridal Chorus
Bridal Chorus
The "Bridal Chorus" "Treulich geführt", from the 1850 opera Lohengrin, by German composer Richard Wagner, is a march played for the bride's entrance at many formal weddings throughout the Western world...

". "Same Song" has an organ solo and improvised organ bits throughout the song, making it one of hip hop's first singles to successfully integrate live instrumentation with music samples. Tupac Shakur
Tupac Shakur
Tupac Amaru Shakur , known by his stage names 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper and actor. Shakur has sold over 75 million albums worldwide as of 2007, making him one of the best-selling music artists in the world...

 made his debut on the latter song and portrayed an African king in the video. Tupac also can be heard joking around on the remixed version of "The Way We Swing" as a background vocalist, adding humorous ad-libs between the verses.

Sons of the P

The group's third album featured two singles, "No Nose Job" and "Kiss You Back", the latter of which featured multi-layered choruses and background vocals sung by Boni Boyer, who briefly worked with Digital Underground shortly after her stint with Prince's Sign of the Times/Love Sexy band. Despite the fact that a choir of singers were portrayed in the video, the actual studio singing was exclusively Boni on all tracks, excluding the male voices. It has been mistakenly reported that "Kiss You Back" was co-written and co-performed by George Clinton
George Clinton (funk musician)
George Clinton is an American singer, songwriter, bandleader, and music producer and the principal architect of P-Funk. He was the mastermind of the bands Parliament and Funkadelic during the 1970s and early 1980s, and launched a solo career in 1981. He has been cited as one of the foremost...

, but his name appears in the writers credit due to a sample of "(Not Just) Knee Deep" by Funkadelic being used. He did, however, actively participate in the writing and recording of the title track "Sons of the P", which he also contributed vocals to, and which marked one of the earliest studio guest appearances by Clinton on a Hip Hop release, which is preceded only by Kurtis Blow
Kurtis Blow
Kurt Walker , better known by his stage name Kurtis Blow, is an American rapper and record producer. He is one of the first commercially successful rappers and the first to sign with a major record label...

's "Magilla Gorilla" released in 1986. Both the album and the "Kiss You Back" single were each certified Gold by the RIAA.

The Body-Hat Syndrome

With the leading single "The Return of the Crazy One," and its accompanying X-rated video, which was reworked for public consumption, gaining positive feedback, the rest of The Body-Hat Syndrome
The Body-Hat Syndrome
The Body-Hat Syndrome is the fourth album from rap group Digital Underground, on which they continued to cultivate their own brand of P-Funk culture, stuffing what had been their first year of silence with a fresh batch of funk-infused rap...

unfurled to less than outstanding crossover commercial acclaim. The album's second single, an anti-racism cultural awareness politico called "Wussup Wit the Luv," featured a solo from Funkadelic
Funkadelic
Funkadelic was an American band most prominent during the 1970s. The band and its sister act Parliament, both led by George Clinton, began the funk music culture of that decade.-History:...

 guitarist Michael Hampton
Michael Hampton
Michael Hampton is a funk/rock guitarist. He is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, inducted in 1997 with fifteen other members of Parliament-Funkadelic....

, as well as a verse and video appearance from Tupac Shakur. This would be the last time Tupac appeared on any Digital Underground release, while lead rappers Saafir
Saafir
Reggie Gibson, better known as Saafir is an emcee, producer and actor from Oakland, California. After moving from Fresno, California to Oakland, he lived with Tupac Shakur and became a dancer for Digital Underground...

 and Clee were added to the band's line-up. This album also features "The Humpty Dance Awards", the group's humorous shout-out to the artists who sampled the Humpty Dance prior to 1993.

Future Rhythm

Future Rhythm
Future Rhythm
Future Rhythm is the fifth album from rap group, Digital Underground, and also marks their first independent release. The album spawned two songs that were featured in the Wayans brother's film Don't be a Menace While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood; "Food Fight", which showcases Humpty Hump and...

, the group's fifth album, would be the band's first independent release, and it spawned two songs that were featured in the Wayans brothers' film Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood
Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood
Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood is a 1996 parody film by Shawn and Marlon Wayans. Similarly to I'm Gonna Git You Sucka, the film spoofs a number of black, coming-of-age, 'hood films' such as Juice, Jungle Fever, South Central, Higher Learning, Do the Right...

. The songs are "Food Fight", which featured Del tha Funkee Homosapien
Del tha Funkee Homosapien
Teren Delvon Jones , better known as Del the Funky Homosapien or Del tha Funkee Homosapien, is an American MC.-Early life and beginnings: 1990-1997:...

, and "We Got More" with Luniz
Luniz
The Luniz were an American platinum-selling rap duo from Oakland, California, formed by the rappers Yukmouth and Numskull. They released an internationally successful hit in 1995 entitled "I Got 5 on It", two versions of which appeared on their album Operation Stackola...

. The latter is featured twice on the soundtrack: once as a full song, and once as an intro edited to the beginning of "Winter Wars" by Ghostface Killa. The album also contains an early performance from rapper Sly Boogy, while he was still a member of the Black Spooks, who appeared on the song "Fool Get a Clue."

Who Got the Gravy?

In 1998, eight years after the group's first release, Digital Underground released Who Got the Gravy?
Who Got The Gravy?
Who Got The Gravy? is the sixth album from rap group, Digital Underground, which reached #91 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts. Guests included east coasters Big Pun, Biz Markie, and KRS One; west coast newcomers Esinchill and female emcee Mystic; and introduced yet another Shock G character,...

, which reached #91 on the Top 200 R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts. The album intentionally featured several East Coast rappers at a time when the East vs. West rivalry was active, in an attempt to both ignore and ridicule it. The guests included New York City natives Big Pun, Biz Markie, and KRS One, and introduced Whuteva
Whuteva
Desmond A. Douglas, p/k/a WHUTEVA, is an American hip-hop recording artist from Queens, New York. At the age of 15, Whuteva met and made a pact with Grammy Award winning producer Rockwilder, who immediately took Whuteva under his wing and assisted him in his career. Whuteva has traveled across the...

 and Stylez, while also introducing west coast bay area newcomers Esinchill and female emcee Mystic
Mystic (singer)
Mystic is a hip hop artist hailing from the San Francisco Bay Area. Raised by her mother , she lived in rural California, Hawaii, and Oregon before settling in her eventual home base, Oakland, California.Early on in her musical career, she collaborated with fellow female producer The Angel and...

.

..Cuz A D.U. Party Don't Stop!

Digital Underground's final studio album, ..Cuz A D.U. Party Don't Stop!!, was released on May 20, 2008, although a substantial portion of it was recorded at a live show from 2005. Shortly before its release, the group embarked on an indefinite hiatus. Money-B has stated that Shock G expressed interest in writing a book and exploring music that the latter would deem unfit for the Digital Underground name.

On May 18, 2010, The Greenlight EP
The Greenlight EP
The Greenlight EP is the ninth album by hip hop/rap group Digital Underground, released in 2010.- Track listing :#Greenlight Ft. Peanut Hakeem #Sittin On The Hitz Ft. Inersh #Purplebrainhurrycanehabit Ft. Numskull...

 was released, which features previously unreleased Digital Underground tracks.

Albums

  • Sex Packets
    Sex Packets
    - LP :-Cassette:The cassette version of the album has 3 extra tracks, plus an extended version of "Gutfest '89"...

    (1990)
  • This Is An EP Release
    This is an EP Release
    This is an EP Release is the RIAA Gold certified second Digital Underground release, from which "Tie the Knot" and "Same Song" were featured in the film Nothing But Trouble starring Dan Aykroyd, Chevy Chase, Demi Moore, and John Candy...

    (1991)
  • Sons Of The P
    Sons of the P
    Sons of the P is the third album by American rap group Digital Underground, released on October 15, 1991. The album featured two hit singles, "No Nose Job" and "Kiss You Back", both of which were written by, and featured the lead vocals of Greg Jacobs Sons of the P is the third album by American...

    (1991)
  • The Body-Hat Syndrome
    The Body-Hat Syndrome
    The Body-Hat Syndrome is the fourth album from rap group Digital Underground, on which they continued to cultivate their own brand of P-Funk culture, stuffing what had been their first year of silence with a fresh batch of funk-infused rap...

    (1993)
  • Future Rhythm
    Future Rhythm
    Future Rhythm is the fifth album from rap group, Digital Underground, and also marks their first independent release. The album spawned two songs that were featured in the Wayans brother's film Don't be a Menace While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood; "Food Fight", which showcases Humpty Hump and...

    (1996)
  • Who Got The Gravy?
    Who Got The Gravy?
    Who Got The Gravy? is the sixth album from rap group, Digital Underground, which reached #91 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts. Guests included east coasters Big Pun, Biz Markie, and KRS One; west coast newcomers Esinchill and female emcee Mystic; and introduced yet another Shock G character,...

    (1998)
  • The Lost Files (1999)
  • ..Cuz A D.U. Party Don't Stop!! (2008)
  • The Greenlight EP
    The Greenlight EP
    The Greenlight EP is the ninth album by hip hop/rap group Digital Underground, released in 2010.- Track listing :#Greenlight Ft. Peanut Hakeem #Sittin On The Hitz Ft. Inersh #Purplebrainhurrycanehabit Ft. Numskull...

    (2010)

Soundtracks

  • Nothing But Trouble
    Nothing but Trouble (soundtrack)
    Nothing But Trouble is the official movie soundtrack to the 1991 film of the same name.- Track listing :#"The Good Life" - Ray Charles#"Same Song" - Digital Underground with Tupac Shakur& Dan Aykroyd#"Get Over" - Nick Scotti...

     (1991)
  • Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood
    Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood
    Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood is a 1996 parody film by Shawn and Marlon Wayans. Similarly to I'm Gonna Git You Sucka, the film spoofs a number of black, coming-of-age, 'hood films' such as Juice, Jungle Fever, South Central, Higher Learning, Do the Right...

     (1996)
  • Tupac: Resurrection (2003)

Compilations

  • Yo! Rap Hits (1991)
  • Oakland Soul: The Bay Area Soundtrack (1997)
  • No Nose Job: The Legend of Digital Underground
    No Nose Job: The Legend of Digital Underground
    No Nose Job: The Legend of Digital Underground is the first compilation album from the rap group, Digital Underground. It features several of their hit songs, such as "Same Song" and "The Humpty Dance."-Track listing:#"The Humpty Dance"...

     (2002)
  • Outrageous Rap (2002)
  • Playwutchyalike: The Best of Digital Underground
    Playwutchyalike: The Best of Digital Underground
    Playwutchyalike: The Best of Digital Underground is the second compilation album from the rap group, Digital Underground.-Track listing:#"Same Song" #"The Way We Swing"#"Underwater Rimes" #"The Humpty Dance"#"Freaks Of The Industry"...

     (2003)
  • Rhino Hi-Five: Digital Underground (2005)
  • Songs You Know: Ol' Skool Hip Hop (2007)
  • Westside Bugg Presents... The Best of The West (2008)

Videos

  • "Doowutchyalike" (1989)
  • "The Humpty Dance" (1990)
  • "Doowutchyalike" (video remix) (1990)
  • "Same Song" (1991)
  • "Kiss You Back" (1991)
  • "No Nose Job" (1992)
  • "Return of the Crazy One" (1993)
  • "Wussup Wit the Luv" (1994)
  • "Oregano Flow" (1996)
  • "Walk Real Kool" (1996)
  • "Wind Me Up" (1998)

DVDs

  • Digital Underground: Raw and Uncut (2004)
  • Thug Angel: The Life of an Outlaw (2000)
  • Tupac: Resurrection
    Tupac: Resurrection
    Tupac: Resurrection is a 2003 documentary about the life and death of rapper Tupac Shakur. The film, directed by Lauren Lazin and released by Paramount Pictures, is narrated by Tupac Shakur himself. The film was in theaters from November 16, 2003 to December 21, 2003...

    (2003)
  • One Nation Under a Groove (2005)

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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