Whodini | |
|---|---|
 Whodini performing at Fresh Fest in 2009 | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Brooklyn,New York City, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 1982–present[1] |
| Labels | |
| Members |
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| Past members |
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Whodini is an Americanhip-hop group that was formed in 1982.[1] TheBrooklyn,New York–based trio consisted of vocalist and main lyricist Jalil Hutchins; co-vocalist John Fletcher, a.k.a. Ecstasy (who wore aZorro-style hat as his trademark; June 7, 1964 – December 23, 2020[2]); andturntable artist DJ Drew Carter, a.k.a. Grandmaster Dee.[3]
Coming out of the fertile New York rap scene of the early 1980s, Whodini was one of the first rap groups to add anR&B twist to their music, thus laying the foundation for a new genre:new jack swing. The group made its name with good-humored songs such as "Magic's Wand" (the first rap song accompanied by a music video), "The Haunted House of Rock", "Friends", "Five Minutes of Funk", and "Freaks Come Out at Night". Live performances of the group were the first rap concerts with the participation ofbreakdance dancers from the groupUTFO.Russell Simmons was the manager of the group in the 1980s.[4]
The group released six studio albums. Fourteen of the group's singles hit theBillboard charts. Four of the group's albums werecertified Platinum by theRIAA.
Whodini was among the first hip hop groups to cultivate a high-profile national following forhip hop music and made significant inroads onurban radio.[5] They were contemporaries of other hip hop groups such asGrandmaster Flash and the Furious Five,Afrika Bambaataa,Run-DMC,the Fat Boys andWarp 9. The group signed with London-based independent record labelJive Records in 1982;[5] they enjoyed a string of hits for several years, mostly charting on urban andR&B radio stations. The bulk of production on its releases was done byLarry Smith, a bassist who also handled much of Run-DMC's early work.
In 1982, Whodini made a hip hop story with its debut single "Magic's Wand", an ode to hip hop radio pioneerMr. Magic,[5] which became the first hip hop song for which a music video was shot.[6]Synth-pop andelectro pioneerThomas Dolby helped produce this single.[5] "Magic's Wand" also has the distinction of being one of Whodini's most-sampled songs.
On July 8, 1983, the group released their self-titled debut studio albumWhodini on vinyl and audio cassettes.[5] The bulk of album was produced by influential German pioneerConny Plank at his own studio near Cologne, Germany. On CD, the album was released in the United States only in 2010. The second single, "Haunted House of Rock", was released in time for Halloween 1983.[5] Whodini combined the goofy fun ofthe Fat Boys with the virtuosity of Run-DMC to create what is the rap equivalent of horror movies. Heavy on the sound effects, the song is full of references to various famous monsters and boogymen –Count Dracula,Bloody Mary andthe Invisible Man all show up.[7][8]
In 1984, the group released their second studio albumEscape.[5] The entire album was fully produced byLarry Smith.Escape has been praised by the staff ofComplex as "an early high watermark of party rap", with the album's melodicism andsynth pop production being singled out for particular acclaim.[6]
Many of these songs were also groundbreaking inhip hop culture, as each one of the songs told a unique story from the urban perspective. The album ended up being certified forplatinum-level sales by theRIAA, selling over one million albums upon its release.[citation needed]
The instrumental version of "Five Minutes of Funk" was used as the theme music of theWNYC TV showVideo Music Box,[9] an influential early hip hopmusic video show. The album is out of print. On May 17, 2011, a deluxe version ofEscape was released on CD with nine bonus tracks.
In 1986, the group released their third studio albumBack in Black,[5] fully produced by Smith. A number of songs from the album received heavy local New York airplay, such as "Funky Beat" and the controversial "I'm a Ho". "Fugitive" was guitar-drivenfunk and "Last Night (I Had a Long Talk With...)" was introspective. Paul Kodish, the drummer of Pendulum, was featured on the album.
From 1982 to 1986, the group was at its most productive; they toured with more successful groups such asRun-DMC,LL Cool J,the Fat Boys, and other prominent hip hop, R&B and funk bands.[5] The group was involved in the firstFresh Fest tour, which was the first hip hop tour to play large coliseums nationwide.[5] In July 1986, the group appeared atPhiladelphia's Spectrum Stadium in front of an audience of 18,000.[10] They were the first hip hop act and break dance troop to tour in the UK and Europe, withUTFO also appearing with the group as its break dance act.[5]
By 1987, the group had earned its share of gold singles and albums. With their fourth studio albumOpen Sesame, their final release of the 1980s,[5] the group had turned away from their once-playful simple beats and catchy rhymes of theold-school, and instead became vocally harder and more instrument-driven, with guitars and horns and bells. They even began to sample, as a snippet ofCheryl Lynn's "Got to Be Real" is heard on the song "Now That Whodini's Inside the Joint". Smith again produced the entire album except for two tracks, "Be Yourself" and "I'm Def (Jump Back and Kiss Myself)", produced by Sinester.
Thisnew-school style had been similarly done almost a year previously, on the multi-million selling debut studio albums byLL Cool J and theBeastie Boys, as many groups had already turned to the kind of hip hop androck music that crossed over easily, andOpen Sesame failed to produce any real hits.
Although the group was still obligated to Jive Records, for the next few years the band eked out its tenure by occasionally only releasing singles, including "Anyway I Gotta Swing It" for the 1989A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child movie soundtrack.
In the 1990s, the band made an attempt at a comeback, and in that same year the group signed withMCA Records and released their fifth albumBag-a-Trix in 1991, which failed to have commercial impact, as it tried again to reinvent using the then-current sound ofnew jack swing.[5] Smith produced six of the tracks on the album, two of which co-authored with the band Major Jam Productions, which separately produced the other four tracks, and Fresh Gordon made music for the other four songs.
In mid-1994, the group scored a hit single with "It All Comes Down to the Money",[5] which was co-produced byPublic Enemy DJTerminator X on his studio albumSuper Bad (1994).
Talks withDef Jam Recordings for a new deal stalled, and in 1996, the group was signed byJermaine Dupri to his then-Columbia Records-distributedSo So Def Recordings imprint. As a child in the 1980s, Dupri did a brief stint as a dancer for the group.[11]
The group's sixth studio albumSix produced one single, "Keep Running Back", and appeared briefly on the R&B chart. The album was fully produced by Dupri, except for three tracks, which were created by Dave Atkinson and Andy "Red Spyda" Thelusma.
Since theSix album, the group has not released any new music, but its older songs have been featured in many various old-school compilation albums and three greatest-hits collections have been released:The Jive Collection, Vol. 1 in 1995,Rap Attack in 2003, andFunky Beat: The Best of Whodini in 2006, which featured the seven-minute "Whodini Mega Mix", which was a medley of some of the biggest hits.
In recent years, Whodini still tours occasionally, and its old records still surface onpop and R&B radio, especially during old-school mix shows. The group's records have now become sample sources for contemporary emcees such asNas,Master P,Prodigy, andMF Doom.[12]
In October 2007, Whodini was an honoree at the 4thVH1Hip Hop Honors.
In March 2012, Whodini was featured in Season 5 Episode 3 of theTV One hour-long music documentary series,Unsung.
In August 2012, Whodini was presented with the Icon Award by the Underground Music Awards.
In October 2012, Whodini was inducted into the 4th annualLong Island Music Hall of Fame.
On August 16, 2018, the group was awarded the Hip-Hop Icon Award at the third Black Music Honors ceremony held at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center inNashville, Tennessee.[13]
On December 23, 2020, Fletcher died at the age of 56.[14]
| Music videos | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Title | ||
| 1982 | "Magic's Wand" | ||
| 1983 | "Rap Machine" | ||
| 1984 | "Freaks Come Out at Night" | ||
| 1984 | "Big Mouth" | ||
| 1984 | "Escape (I Need a Break)" | ||
| 1986 | "Funky Beat" | ||
| 1986 | "One Love" | ||
| 1986 | "King Holiday" (King Dream Chorus and Holiday Crew) | ||
| 1986 | "Growing Up" | ||
| 1987 | "Be Yourself" | ||
| 1987 | "Rock You Again (Again & Again)" | ||
| 1991 | "Freaks" | ||
| 1996 | "Keep Running Back" | ||
| International | |
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| National | |
| Artists | |
