Plastic Little is an American rap group consisting ofJayson Musson (PackofRats), Kurt Hunte (No Body's Child), Jon Folmar (Jon Thousand), Si Young Lee (DJ Si Young) and Michael Stern (SQUID).[3][4] The name "Plastic Little" comes from themanga andOVAPlastic Little simply as, according to Musson, "The way the 2 words go together, I like it".[5] Based inPhiladelphia,Pennsylvania; they've worked with other notable artists from the area, includingAmanda Blank andSpank Rock.[1]
Originally consisting of only Musson and Hunte, Plastic Little formed during the summer of 2001.[6] After little success the pair started looking for "some proper white folks"[6] to appeal to a wider audience. In late 2002, producer Michael Squid joined the group and together they completed theirself-released albumThug Paradise 2.1, released in 2003. A few years later, DJ and producer Si Young joined the group as the group's DJ.
Subsequent to its release the first 6 tracks were released by 'aNYthing Records', for which it received wide critical acclaim from a variety of sources such asPitchfork Media andVice Magazine.[7]
Following up on this success, Plastic Little released their firststudio album,She's Mature, in 2006 to mixed reviews.
Plastic Little released their second albumWelcome to the Jang House in 2008 to the UK audience only. The album compiles tracks from their self-released album,Thug Paradise, as well as their debut album,She's Mature; adding a couple of new tracks also. The album received mainly positive reviews, with critics praising Little's ability to blend many genres together into one album while still sounding "fresh and bold";[16] their "tongue-in-cheek brilliance";[17] and their "biting critique of society at large" and "acerbic wit and intelligence".[18]
A sample of the song "Miller Time", from the self-released 2003 albumThug Paradise 2.1, was featured in theBaauer song "Harlem Shake" in 2012.[24] The sample was used without the permission of the band, who then sought compensation fromMad Decent records for the copyright infringement, along withreggaeton artistHéctor Delgado,[25] due to the success of the release.[26][27] Musson stated the label were "more than cooperative during this".[27] "Harlem Shake" became aninternet meme in February 2013 after various groups of peopleperformed a dance (unrelated to the originalHarlem shake) to it and uploaded the videos toYouTube.[24][28] The original lyrics ("And if you bring a 40 bottle to battle me/ I'll just punch you in the face/ then do the Harlem Shake") were a reference to a fight Musson had with a local graffiti artist after a Plastic Little gig.[24][29]
Their music has been variously described as rap, hip-hop, 2-step,Gallery Rap[3] and, in their own words,Broke Pop[30] andParty Rap.[31]Plastic Little are known for their often tongue-in-cheek, comedic lyrical style[17] while still being "simultaneously too full of themselves and astoundingly self-aware".[3]
^Standring, Ant (November 26, 2007)."Jayson Musson Interview".Glasswerk. Art In The Age. Archived fromthe original on March 25, 2012. RetrievedApril 20, 2011.
