Black Moon | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Brooklyn, New York City, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 1992–2006, 2011–present |
| Labels | |
| Members | Buckshot 5ft DJ Evil Dee |
Black Moon (backronymed as Brothers Lyrically Acting Combining Kicking Music Out On Nations) [1] is an American underground hip hop group from Brooklyn, New York. Formed in 1992 by East Coast rappers Buckshot and 5ft and record producer DJ Evil Dee, they debuted in 1992 with the release of the single "Who Got da Props". [2] The group was most notable for their debut album Enta da Stage , and their affiliation with the Boot Camp Clik. As of 2024, the group has released four studio albums. [3]
The roots of Black Moon go back to Brooklyn's Bushwick High School, where Kasim "5ft" Reid and Ewart "DJ Evil Dee" Dewgrade met and formed a group called Unique Image. The two later met a former backup dancer Kenyatte "Buckshot" Blake in the Brownsville, Brooklyn and formed a friendship based on similar musical aspirations. [4]
The trio released their first single "Who Got da Props" in 1992, [5] [6] which became an underground hit, peaking at number 86 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. [7] With the help of DJ Chuck Chillout, the group signed a record deal with New York-based independent label Nervous Records, becoming the first hip hop act on then-house music-oriented record label. [8]
The group recruited Evil Dee's older brother Walter "Mr. Walt" Dewgrade for recording the pre-production of their debut studio album, which eventually led to the formation of hip hop production team Da Beatminerz between Dewgrade brothers. Black Moon premiered its debut studio album, Enta da Stage , on October 19, 1993, [9] [10] including "Who Got da Props?", "Son Get Wrec", "How Many MC's...", "Buck Em Down" and another Hot 100 hit single "I Got Cha Opin (Remix)". The album featured guest appearances from Havoc of Mobb Deep, Nervious Records' intern and promoter Drew "Dru-Ha" Friedman, and debuting hip hop duo Smif-N-Wessun. Enta da Stage went on to sell over 350,000 copies in the U.S. and is now regarded as an underground hip hop classic. Following the album's release, the group temporarily broke up. [2]
Member Buckshot and Dru Ha formed Duck Down Management in 1994 to formally manage Black Moon and Smif-N-Wessun. [11] The year 1995 saw the release of Smif-N-Wessun's debut album Dah Shinin' through Nervous Records' sub-label Wreck Records, which featured contributions from Evil Dee with his extended production team Da Beatminerz and Buckshot, who recruited fellow Brooklyn local groups Heltah Skeltah and Originoo Gunn Clappaz to form a supergroup called the Boot Camp Clik. [2]
Due to the group's hiatus, Black Moon refused to submit a new album for Nervous Records and were dropped from the label. However, in late 1996 Nervous Records released a Black Moon compilation album titled Diggin' in dah Vaults , which featured a number of remixes and b-side tracks. The album was not authorized by the group as the label bootlegged it and became entangled in a legal battle over the licensing rights of their group name, which lasted for a number of years. The case was finally settled in 1998, and the group was able to license its name through Nervous. [2]
In 1999, the group released its long-awaited second album War Zone through Priority Records. The album saw a change in the group's musical style, with a more mature and more serious lyrical delivery from member Buckshot, more vocal contributions from member 5 ft (who appeared on three songs from Enta da Stage and six songs on War Zone), and also featured a new lo-fi production sound from the original two members of Da Beatminerz. [5] Alongside several Boot Camp Click members, it features guest appearances from rappers Busta Rhymes, Heather B., M.O.P., Q-Tip and Teflon. Despite its singles "Two Turntables & a Mic" and "This Is What It Sounds Like (Worldwind)" made small impact on the Billboard charts, the album reached number 35 on the U.S. Billboard 200 albums chart and remains the group's highest charted full-length.
Later the same year, Buckshot released his debut solo studio album, The BDI Thug , to mediocre reviews and poor sales.
Four Black Moon songs were included in 2000 compilation Basic Training: Boot Camp Clik's Greatest Hits . Black Moon, together with Lord Have Mercy, was featured on the track "Devastatin' .... That's Us!" from Da Beatminerz debut album Brace 4 Impak , released in 2001.
Black Moon returned in 2003 for the release of its third album Total Eclipse , which is the first Black Moon album featured production from outside record producers other than Da Beatminerz (such as Nottz and MoSS). It produced the underground hit "Stay Real" and "Pressure is Tight", as well as two music videos, shot for the singles "Stay Real" and "This Goes Out to You". The album, like the group's previous efforts, received good reviews, but it wasn't able to reach outside the underground hip hop audience.
DJ Evil Dee continued production work with Da Beatminerz, and Buckshot continued to work with the Boot Camp Clik. In 2004 the group released a documentary film Behind the Moon. [12] In 2005, Buckshot released a collaborative album with producer 9th Wonder titled Chemistry . In 2006, DJ Evil Dee and Mr. Walt released a mixtape titled Alter the Chemistry, which paired Buckshot's vocals from the Chemistry album with classic Black Moon beats. [5] Member 5 ft provided his first appearance on Boot Camp Clik album Casualties of War with the song "BK All Day". From 2008 to 2009, Buckshot has released his second collaborative album with 9th Wonder titled The Formula , followed by a studio album with KRS-One titled Survival Skills , both to appear on the Billboard 200.
It was recently confirmed by the group in 2011 that it started recording its fourth album together called Dark Side of the Moon and to be entirely produced again by Da Beatminerz, with possible new members to its production team. [13] However, the event did not happen until 2019, when the group scheduled to reunite for their first album in 16 years. [14] The trio's fourth studio album entitled Rise of da Moon was released on October 18, 2019, featuring guest appearances from Method Man, Rock of Heltah Skeltah, and the group's long time collaborators Swif-N-Wessun. [3]
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Da Beatminerz are an American hip-hop production crew from Bushwick, Brooklyn, known for their dark, gritty sound that is very popular with the underground hip-hop scene.
Heltah Skeltah was an American hip hop duo which consisted of rappers Jahmal "Rock" Bush and Sean "Ruck" Price. The two were also members of New York supergroup Boot Camp Clik, along with Buckshot, Smif-N-Wessun and O.G.C.
Smif-N-Wessun, also known as Cocoa Brovaz and Tek-N-Steele, is an American hip hop duo from Brooklyn, New York City. It is composed of rappers Tekomin "Tek" Williams from Bedford–Stuyvesant and Darrell "Steele" Yates from Brownsville. The duo comprise one quarter of supergroup Boot Camp Clik, together with Buckshot, Heltah Skeltah and Originoo Gunn Clappaz. Both members are known for their Jamaican Patois during their raps, which was more evident during the earlier stages of their career.
Boot Camp Clik is an American hip hop supergroup from Brooklyn, New York City, which is composed of Buckshot, Smif-N-Wessun, Heltah Skeltah and O.G.C.. Most of the members are from Brownsville, but Buckshot is from Crown Heights and Tek is from Bedford-Stuyvesant.
Enta da Stage is the debut album by American East Coast hip hop group Black Moon, released on October 19, 1993, through Nervous Records. The album was produced by Black Moon member DJ Evil Dee along with Mr. Walt of Da Beatminerz. Enta da Stage features the debut of underground hip hop duo Smif-N-Wessun, as well as appearances from Havoc of Mobb Deep and Dru Ha, the co-founder of Duck Down Records.
Dah Shinin' is the debut studio album by American East Coast hip hop duo Smif-N-Wessun. It was released on January 10, 1995, via Wreck/Nervous Records. Recording sessions took place at D&D Studios in New York City. Production was handled by Da Beatminerz. It features a guest appearance from the Boot Camp Clik. The album peaked at number 59 on the Billboard 200. The production is the signature Beatminerz sound which is elevated from their work on Black Moon’s 1993 effort ‘Enta da Stage’. The album spawned 4 singles: Bucktown/Let’s Git It On, Wrekonize/Sound Bwoy Burriel, Wrekonize (Remix)/Sound Bwoy Burriel (edit) and Wontime. A track known as ‘Nothin’ Move but The Money’ was left of the release of the album due to sample clearance issues and was released on white label as a result.
Nocturnal is the debut studio album by American hip hop duo Heltah Skeltah. It was released on June 18, 1996, via Duck Down/Priority Records. The recording sessions took place at Chung King Studios, at Dollar Cab, at D&D Studios, and at Unique Recording Studios in New York City. It was produced by Da Beatminerz, Buckshot, Shaleek, Shawn J. Period, Supreme, E-Swift, Lord Jamar and Sean Price. It features guest appearances from Originoo Gunn Clappaz, Illa Noyz, Representativz and Vinia Mojica. The album peaked at number 35 on the Billboard 200 and number 5 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums.
Da Storm is the first studio album by American hip hop trio Originoo Gunn Clappaz. It was released on October 29, 1996, through Duck Down/Priority Records. Recording sessions took place at Chung King Studios, at D&D Studios, at Platinum Island Studios and at Unique Studios in New York, and at WPGC FM in Washington. Production was handled by Da Beatminerz, DJ Ogee, E-Swift, Shaleek and Steele. It features guest appearances from Bad Vybes, M.S., Sadat X, Sean Black and the Representativz. The album peaked at number 47 on the Billboard 200 and number 10 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. Two singles were released from the album: "No Fear" and "Hurricane Starang".
Kenyatta Blake, known professionally as Buckshot, is an American rapper from Brooklyn, New York, best known as a frontman of hip hop groups Black Moon and Boot Camp Clik. He rose to prominence with Black Moon's debut 1993 album Enta da Stage, which is critically acclaimed and influential in hip-hop.
For the People is the debut album by American hip hop supergroup Boot Camp Clik. It was released on May 20, 1997, via Priority Records and re-released as Still For the People on April 24, 2007, via Duck Down Music. The recording sessions took place from September 1996 to March 1997 at D&D Studios and at Chung King Studios in New York. The production was handled by Mark "Boogie" Brown, Buckshot, Shawn J Period, Tony Touch, BJ Swan, Shaleek, EZ Elpee, Squia and Louieville Sluggah. The album peaked at number 15 on the Billboard 200 and number 4 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.
War Zone is the second album by American hip hop trio Black Moon. It was released on February 23, 1999, through Duck Down/Priority Records. Recording sessions took place at D&D Studios in New York City. Production was entirely handled by Da Beatminerz, who also served as executive producers together with Drew "Dru-Ha" Friedman and member Buckshot. It features guest appearances from Busta Rhymes, Heather B., Louieville Sluggah, M.O.P., Q-Tip, Rock, Smif-N-Wessun and Teflon. The album peaked at number 35 on the Billboard 200 and number 9 on the Top R&B Albums. It was supported by two singles: "Two Turntables & a Mic" and "Worldwind (Remix)".
Basic Training is a greatest hits album by American hip hop collective Boot Camp Clik, composed of singles released by Black Moon, Smif-N-Wessun, Heltah Skeltah and Originoo Gunn Clappaz between 1992 and 1999. It was released on March 14, 2000 via Priority Records. Production was handled by Da Beatminerz, BJ Swan, Black Market, Cuzin Bawb, E-Swift, Mark "Boogie" Brown, Self and Starang Wondah, with Buckshot and Drew "Dru-Ha" Friedman serving as executive producers.
Total Eclipse is the third studio album by American hip hop group Black Moon. It was released on October 7, 2003 through Duck Down Music. Recording sessions took place at the Dewgarde Crib of Hits in New York, at Tha Entaprize, at CDR Studios, and at D.I.R.T. Factory in Norfolk. Production was primarily handled by Da Beatminerz, as well as Dan The Man, Coptic, DJ Static, Kleph Dollaz, MoSS, Nottz, Oshta Hunter and Tone Capone. It features guest appearances from Smif-N-Wessun, Sean Price and Starang Wondah.
Smif 'n' Wessun: Reloaded is the third studio album by American hip hop duo Smif-N-Wessun, and the only one released under the name Tek & Steele. It was released on September 13, 2005 via Duck Down Music as a part of the label's "Triple Threat Campaign", preceded by Sean Price's Monkey Barz and Buckshot's Chemistry. Production was handled by Da Beatminerz, Coptic, Ken Ring, Khrysis, Rune Rotter, MoSS, Roc Raida and Dru Kevorkian. It features guest appearances from the Boot Camp Clik, Dead Prez, Talib Kweli and Tony Touch. The album peaked at number 69 on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart in the US.
Duck Down Music Inc is a New York City based record label, talent management, music-marketing, and consulting company founded by Drew "Dru-Ha" Friedman and Kenyatta "Buckshot" Blake in 1995. In Duck Down's 20-year existence, the company has released over 40 albums and sold more than 3 million collective copies worldwide. Home of established hip hop artists such as Boot Camp Clik, Pharoahe Monch, Black Rob, 9th Wonder, KRS-One, B-Real of Cypress Hill, The Away Team, Statik Selektah, Random Axe, Promise, David Dallas, Marco Polo, Ruste Juxx, Torae, Blue Scholars, Special Teamz and Kidz in the Hall.
Nervous Records is an American record label specializing in underground house and hip hop, founded in 1991.
The Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival (BHF) is an annual celebration of Hip-Hop music and culture. It is produced The Bodega Agency a wholly owned subsidiary of Brooklyn Bodega, Inc.
Drew "Dru Ha" Friedman is an American music and marketing executive based in New York City. Friedman is Co-Founder and CEO of Duck Down Music Inc., 3D Consulting & Distribution, General Manager for Cinematic Music Group, and former Director of Urban Music at Cornerstone Promotion. Born and raised in White Plains, New York, he is a graduate of Syracuse University's S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications where he studied advertising.
Rise of da Moon is the fourth studio album by American hip hop group Black Moon. It was released on October 18, 2019 via Duck Down Music. Produced entirely by Da Beatminerz, it features guest appearances from Smif-N-Wessun, Method Man and Rock.
"Who Got da Props" is a song written by American rapper Buckshot and record producer Evil Dee of Da Beatminerz, performed by East Coast hip hop group Black Moon. It was recorded in 1992 and produced by Evil Dee. Pre-production took place at the Dewgarde Crib of Hits with following recording sessions at D&D Studios in New York. It was released in 1992, through Nervous Records as the lead single from the group's debut studio album Enta da Stage, marking the debut on hip hop scene by both the artists and the label. Accompanying music video was directed by Ralph McDaniels.
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