Whodini - Fugitive (1986)

Added: May 21, 2008

From: DJHazElCuban0

Duration: 6:13

Whodini is a hip hop group from New York that was formed in 1981, made up of Jalil (Jalil Hutchins), Ecstasy (John Fletcher) and Grandmaster Dee (Drew Carter). Along with Run-DMC and The Fat Boys, Whodini was among the first hip-hop groups to cultivate a high-profile national following for hip-hop music and made significant inroads on Urban radio. The Brooklyn, New York-based trio consisted of vocalist-chief lyricist Jalil Hutchins; co-vocalist John Fletcher, aka Ecstasy, who tended to wear a Zorro-style hat as his trademark; and DJ Drew Carter, aka Grandmaster Dee. Contemporaries of Run-D.M.C., they were managed by Russell Simmons, brother of Joseph "Run" Simmons. The group signed with London-based indie Jive Records in 1982; they enjoyed a string of hits, mostly charting on Urban/RB stations. The bulk of production on its releases was done by Larry Smith, a bass player who also handled much of Run-D.M.C.'s early work. In keeping with 1980s trends, Whodini's cuts tended to be synthesizer-driven with a heavy electronic drumbeat. The sampling technology that became identified with hip-hop music hadn't really become prominent during Whodini's early days, and its works were thoroughly original compositions. "Haunted House of Rock" was its first single, a whimsical Halloween-themed number. Synth-pop pioneer Thomas Dolby produced another of its early singles, "Magic's Wand," which was originally conceived as an advertisement for prominent radio jock Mr. Magic, who worked for New York's WBLS. The group culled a female audience with such relationship-themed cuts as "Friends" and "One Love." Backstage partying was extolled in the mildly controversial "I'm a Ho." "Fugitive" was guitar-driven funk. From 1982 to 1986 was the band's heyday, touring with Run-D.M.C., LL Cool J, the Fat Boys, and other prominent RB and funk outfits of the 1980s. The group was involved in the first Fresh Fest tour, which was the first hip-hop tour to play large coliseums. The instrumental to its hit record "Five Minutes of Funk" was used as the theme music for WNYC TV show Music Box, an influential early hip-hop music video show. Its albums Whodini (1983), Escape (1984), and Back in Black (1986; no relation to AC/DC) were all well-received by hip-hop fans and youthful RB enthusiasts, but full-fledged crossover fame seemed to elude them. The group had earned its share of gold singles and albums by 1987, when the hits started to slump. Open Sesame, their release that year, failed to produce any hits. After that point, the band eked out its tenure on Jive by occasionally releasing singles, including "Anyway I Gotta Swing it" for the Nightmare on Elm Street 5 movie soundtrack. Whodini was the first hip-hop group to include official dancers in its live show. The performers were Doctor Ice, Jalil's younger brother) and Kangol Kid of UTFO. Whodini's "Magic's Wand" appeared in the video game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City on the radio station Wild Style, Style. Whodini's "The Freaks Come out at Night" also appeared in the video game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories on the radio station Fresh 105 FM. The hip-hop supergroup The Firm sampled Whodini's song "Five Minutes of Funk" in its song "Five Minutes to Flush," a parody of a drug dealer who had five minutes to flush all his drugs down the toilet before the Feds came a-knockin'. In a second-season episode of Everybody Hates Chris, Chris got two tickets to a Whodini show from a shop owner, who thought the show was about the magician. In the movie Next Friday, Day-Day and Roach were singing Whodini's song "Friends" while tied up when The "Main" Joker (played by Jacob Vargas) told them to shut up and said "I don't even like Whodini". In the movie Friday After Next, when Day-Day and Craig are being shown the shopping center Moly quotes Whodini's "The Freaks Come out at Night". Bone Thugs N Harmony recorded "friends" and remixed it on The Art of War. A young Jermaine Dupri appears as a dancer in "The Freaks Come Out at Night" video.

Channel: Music

Tags: 90's  angeles  dance  djhazelcuban0  electronic  free  freestyle  houdini  house  la  los  miami  music  new  ny  pop  style  techno  york 

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