Da Beatminerz are a hip-hop production crew from Bushwick, Brooklyn, and are known for their dark, gritty sound that is very popular with the underground hip-hop scene.
Heltah Skeltah was a hip hop duo which consisted of rappers Rock and Ruck. The two were members of New York supergroup Boot Camp Clik, along with Buckshot, Smif-N-Wessun and O.G.C..
Black Moon is an American underground hip hop group from Brooklyn, New York. Formed in the early ’90s by rappers Buckshot, 5ft and record producer DJ Evil Dee, they first debuted in 1992 with the release of the single "Who Got the Props?". The group was most notable for their debut album Enta da Stage, and their affiliation with the Boot Camp Clik. As of 2019, the group has released four studio albums.
Smif-N-Wessun, also known as Cocoa Brovaz and Tek-N-Steele, is an American hip hop group from Brooklyn borough of New York City. 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 of 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 guest appearance from the Boot Camp Clik. The album peaked at number 59 on the Billboard 200.
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, professionally known by his stage name Buckshot, is an American New York-based rapper, best known as a frontman of hip hop groups Black Moon and Boot Camp Clik. He is a founder of Duck Down Music record label with Drew "Dru-Ha" Friedman. He has released one solo studio album, three with producer 9th Wonder, one with KRS-One, four albums with Black Moon and four albums with the Boot Camp Clik.
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. Recording sessions took place from September 1996 to March 1997 at D&D Studios and at Chung King Studios in New York. 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.
Duck Down Presents: The Album is a compilation album by American New-York based hip hop record label Duck Down Records featured all new tracks recorded from Boot Camp Clik members and affiliates. It was released on September 14, 1999 via Priority Records. Recording sessions took place at D&D Studios, the Enterprize Studio and Unique Recording Studios in New York, and at the Spanish Coop in Los Angeles. Production was handled by Da Beatminerz, Arkatech Beatz, Buckshot, Eek-A-Mouse and Mike Caren among others. The album received very mediocre reviews. Black Moon's single "Jump Up" peaked at number 24 on the Hot Rap Songs.
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.
Monkey Barz is the debut solo studio album by American Brooklyn-based rapper Sean Price of Heltah Skeltah. It was released on June 13, 2005 through Duck Down Records as a part of the label's "Triple Threat Campaign", followed by Buckshot's Chemistry and Tek & Steele's Smif 'n' Wessun: Reloaded. The cover art is based on the Planet of the Apes series. Production was handled by Khrysis, TY Deals, Agallah, 9th Wonder, Ayatollah, Dub Z, Edward Maximillion III, Justice, Kleph Dollaz, MoSS, P.F. Cuttin', Phat Babyz, Star.com and Tone Mason, with Buckshot and Drew "Dru-Ha" Friedman serving as executive producers. It features guest appearances from fellow Boot Camp Clik members Buckshot, Louieville Sluggah, Rock, Starang Wondah, Steele, Tek, and affiliate Ruste Juxx.
Chemistry is the first collaborative studio album by American rapper Buckshot and record producer 9th Wonder. It was released on June 21, 2005 through Duck Down Music as a part of the label's "Triple Threat Campaign", preceded by Sean Price's Monkey Barz and followed by Tek & Steele's Smif 'n' Wessun: Reloaded. Recording sessions took place at Missie Ann Studios in Raleigh, North Carolina. Production was handled entirely by 9th Wonder, with Buckshot and Drew "Dru-Ha" Friedman serving as executive producers. It features guest appearances from Keisha Shontelle, Big Pooh, Joe Scudda, L.E.G.A.C.Y., Phonte, Sean Price and Starang Wondah. This album is paralleled by the Black Moon album Alter the Chemistry, which was basically a remix album produced by Da Beatminerz.
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.
The Fab 5 was a Hip Hop group that consisted of Heltah Skeltah and O.G.C.. The group joined the Boot Camp Clik and signed a record deal with Duck Down Records in 1995. They released their debut single "Blah" b/w "Leflaur Leflah Eshkoshka" later that year, with the B-Side "Leflah" becoming a surprise Billboard Hot 100 hit in 1995. The two groups split up to release separate debut albums in 1996, with Heltah Skeltah dropping Nocturnal in June, and O.G.C. dropping Da Storm in October. Da Storm did not feature a Fab 5 track, and neither did Heltah Skeltah's 1998 second album Magnum Force. The next "Fab 5" track came on O.G.C.'s 1999 second effort The M-Pire Shrikez Back, on the song "Dirtiest Players in the Game", which was supposed to serve as a prelude to a full-length Fab 5 album. Multiple Duck Down Records releases noted plans for a Fab 5 album in the liner notes, with the album being named either Simply Fabulous or Without the Freddy. The album was never released, due to Rock leaving Duck Down Records in 1999 in pursuit of a solo career. All five took part in the latest Boot Camp Clik album The Last Stand, released July 18, 2006. On August 8, 2015, group member Sean Price died in his sleep in his apartment in Brooklyn at the age of 43.
Casualties of War is the fourth studio album by American hip hop supergroup Boot Camp Clik. It was released on August 14, 2007 through Duck Down Music, and is compiled of leftover tracks recorded for the group's previous album, 2006's The Last Stand. Recording sessions took place at CDR Studio'z in New York. Production was handled by Coptic, Dan the Man, Soul G, Marco Polo, 9th Wonder, Chris the Four, Dub Z, Fred Bear, Jaywan Inc., Marvel da Beat Bandit, Moods and Vibrations Prod. and Nottz, with Buckshot and Drew "Dru-Ha" Friedman serving as executive producers. The album features contributions from seven of the eight original members with O.G.C.'s Louieville Sluggah being the only absent member, as well as guest appearances from Ruste Juxx, Supreme, 5ft, Blue Flame and G-Tang.
