 |
Alonzo Williams | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Alonzo Williams |
| Origin | Compton, California, U.S. |
| Years active | 1979–present |
Alonzo Williams is an American DJ and former member and promoter of the World Class Wreckin' Cru. [1] He is credited for playing a major role in the development of West Coast Hip Hop, tracing back to the late 1970s. He is also the former owner of Kru-Cut Records.
By 1979, Alonzo was already one of the most popular DJs in the Los Angeles area. He began producing dances under the name of Disco Construction, named after funk group Brass Construction. Seeing the popularity of this new craze, he entered the market of running nightclub performances. The World Class Wreckin' Cru debuted in a club owned by Lonzo. The club "Eve After Dark" opened with Detroit-born Andre Manuel aka Unknown DJ directing the music program whose main influence derived from an East Coast flavour such as the Soulsonic Force, Orbit and Scorpio.
As the 1980s arrived, so did electronic funk, sampling drum beats fused with old-school rap format. Disco Construction created a sub-group called the Wreckin' Cru which were the Lonzos roadies and later added World Class it became the name of the recording group. Lonzo hired local DJs Antoine "Yella" Carraby and Andre "Dr. Dre" Young who later became the original Mix Masters for KDAY. The Wreckin' Cru performed in various shows around L.A. including opening for New Edition as well as multiple shows promoted by Lonzo.
The Wreckin' Cru's first releases were the singles "Slice" followed by "Surgery". That same year, they released their debut album World Class, all released through Lonzo's label Kru-Cut. The success of their early releases led to a major record deal with CBS/Epic Records. [2] With this, the group released a string of new singles and a second album entitled Rapped in Romance.
After being signed to CBS records, Lonzo was asked if he had any other acts. After seeing Dre's cousin Jinx's group perform in a rap contest, a teenage group called C.I.A. (Cru' In Action) starring O'Shea "Ice Cube" Jackson, Dre’s cousin Tony ‘Sir Jinx’ Wheaton and Darrell ‘K-Dee’ Johnson, who with Dre would record a demo tape called "She's a Skag". The group was then signed to a single deal with CBS.
The Wreckin Cru signed to CBS in 1986 along with C.I.A. After being released from CBS the WCWC went on to have their biggest hit ever "Turn off The Lights" which peaked at #54 on the Billboard Black Singles Charts. WCWC which was primarily known as a dance and romance act released many locally successful songs including "Surgery," "Juice," "Cabbage Patch," and "Lovers during their tenure.
After the Wreckin' Cru split up, Lonzo, now a solo artist released another LP, titled Phases in Life, in 1990 [3] but has not released anything new since.
N.W.A was an American hip hop group formed in Compton, California. Among the earliest and most significant figures of the gangsta rap subgenre, the group is widely considered one of the greatest and most influential acts in hip hop music.
O'Shea Jackson Sr., known professionally as Ice Cube, is an American rapper, songwriter, actor, and film producer. His lyrics on N.W.A's 1988 album Straight Outta Compton contributed to gangsta rap's widespread popularity, and his political rap solo albums AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted (1990), Death Certificate (1991), and The Predator (1992) were all critically and commercially successful. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of N.W.A in 2016.
Warren Griffin III is an American rapper, record producer, and DJ who helped popularize West Coast hip hop during the 1990s. A pioneer of G-funk, he attained mainstream success with his 1994 single "Regulate". He is credited with discovering Snoop Dogg, having introduced the then-unknown rapper to record producer Dr. Dre.
West Coast hip hop is a regional genre of hip hop music that encompasses any artists or music that originated in the West Coast of the United States. West Coast hip hop began to dominate from a radio play and sales standpoint during the early to-mid 1990s with the birth of G-funk and the emergence of record labels such as Suge Knight and Dr. Dre's Death Row Records, Ice Cube's Lench Mob Records, the continued success of Eazy-E's Ruthless Records, Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment, and others.
Straight Outta Compton is the debut studio album by American gangsta rap group N.W.A, which, led by Eazy-E, formed in Los Angeles County's City of Compton in early 1987. Released by his label, Ruthless Records, on August 8, 1988, the album was produced by N.W.A members Dr. Dre, DJ Yella, and Arabian Prince, with lyrics written by N.W.A members Ice Cube and MC Ren along with Ruthless rapper and unofficial member The D.O.C. Not merely depicting Compton's street violence, the lyrics repeatedly threaten to lead it by attacking peers and even police. The track "Fuck tha Police" drew an FBI agent's warning letter, which aided N.W.A's notoriety, with N.W.A calling itself "the world's most dangerous group."
World Class Wreckin' Cru was an American electro group, during the 1980s in the Los Angeles area, that contributed to rap's development. Two of its members, Dr. Dre and DJ Yella, attained greater fame as members of N.W.A, which pioneered gangsta rap. A song by the Cru had also featured R&B singer Michel'le.
Antoine Carraby, known professionally as DJ Yella, is an American DJ, record producer, and film director from Compton, California.
N.W.A. and the Posse is a compilation album, re-releasing N.W.A and associated groups' underground rap songs from the Los Angeles area's rap scene on November 6, 1987. It is regarded as American rap group N.W.A's first but neglected album; N.W.A's authorized debut studio album, rather, is Straight Outta Compton, released in August 1988. Whereas the Straight album was certified platinum, one million copies sold in July 1989, the Posse album was certified gold, half as many copies sold, in April 1994.
The Fila Fresh Crew was a hip-hop group from Dallas, Texas. consisting of Fresh K, Dr. Rock and The D.O.C..
Anthony D. Wheaton, professionally known by his stage name Sir Jinx, is an American hip hop record producer and rapper from Los Angeles. He is a cousin of multi-platinum producer Dr. Dre. He began his career as a member of the C.I.A. in the mid-80s with Ice Cube and Kid Disaster. He produced tracks for the likes of Dazzie Dee, Westside Connection, Too Short, Yo-Yo, Tone Loc, Kool G Rap, CeCe Peniston, Xzibit and Kurupt among others, and also remixed songs for Rage Against the Machine, Public Enemy and Toni Braxton.
C.I.A., a name short for Cru’In Action!, replacing the earlier name Stereo Crew, was an American hip hop trio, K-Dee, Sir Jinx, and Ice Cube, on the Los Angeles rap scene in the 1980s. The trio debuted at parties thrown by Sir Jinx's cousin Dr. Dre. Dre was in one of the Los Angeles area's leading DJ crews, the World Class Wreckin' Cru, whose core members, including Dre, doubled as a successful electro rap group. In 1986, the Stereo Crew's single "She's a Skag" arrived on Epic Records, which soon dropped the group for poor sales.
Andre Manuel, a disc jockey and record producer called The Unknown DJ or DJ Unknown, was a pioneer in the Los Angeles area's 1980s music scene, moving from electro funk and electro rap to gangsta rap. Now a legend of West Coast rap, he worked with rapper Ice-T in the early 1980s, then with Alonzo "Grandmaster Lonzo" Williams, and with MC Eiht's group Compton's Most Wanted in the early 1990s.
Michel'le Denise Toussant, also spelled Toussaint, is an American R&B singer known for her songs from 1989 to the early 1990s. Her highest charting song is the top ten US Hot 100 hit "No More Lies". Between 2013 and 2015, Michel'le was one of six members on the TV One reality show R&B Divas: Los Angeles. She is also the subject of the 2016 biopic Surviving Compton: Dre, Suge & Michel'le.
"Real Muthaphuckkin G's," or "Real Compton City G's" in its radio edit, is a diss track released as a single in August 1993 by American rapper Eazy-E with guest rappers Gangsta Dresta and B.G. Knocc Out. Peaking at #42 on Billboard's Hot 100, and the most successful of Eazy's singles as a solo artist, it led an EP, also his most successful, It's On 187um Killa. This diss track answers Eazy's former N.W.A bandmate Dr. Dre and his debuting, guest rapper Snoop Dogg, who had dissed Eazy on Dre's first solo album, The Chronic.
Cru' In Action! is the only release by rap group C.I.A.. The record has received more than one pressing by record companies Macola and Kru-Cut. Alonzo Williams was credited for executive production of the 12" single. Personnel include Dr. Dre as producer and turntablist, as well as a then-17-year-old Ice Cube as writer and rapper. The single was recorded in 1986 and released in 1987.
World Class is the first studio album by American Los Angeles-based electro-hop group World Class Wreckin' Cru. It was released in 1985 under the Kru-Cut record label. Songs on the album included "Juice" and "Surgery", which were popular singles on the underground West Coast scene.
Rapped in Romance is the second and final studio album by American Los Angeles–based electro-hop group the World Class Wreckin' Cru. It was released in 1986 on Epic. Cli-N-Tel left the group during the fall of 1985 which led to Lonzo recruiting Shakespeare to join the group.
Concrete Roots is a compilation album containing songs produced by Dr. Dre, released in 1994. The album was conceived and compiled by Lee "DJ Flash" Johnson. The album peaked at No. 43 on the Billboard 200.
Richard Anthony, known professionally as The Real Richie Rich, is an American actor, hip hop and R&B record producer, rapper and entrepreneur. He is the founder and the CEO of Richworld Entertainment. Anthony is mostly known as a member of the West Coast rap group LA Dream Team. He later worked as a producer for artists such as Snoop Dog, Herbie Hancock, Pointer Sisters Joe Serious, Teena Marie, Kid Frost, O.G. Cell-E-Cell, Mellow Man Ace, UTFO. As a studio owner, he has also produced popular groups like South Central Cartel, Domino, Whodini, Mokensteff, Y?V, Funkdoobiest, WC and the Maad Circle, Club Nouveau, Daddy Freddy, Lucky Luciano and Ray from the Dutch Eurodance group 2 Unlimited.
Tony Alvarez, known as DJ Tony A. Da Wizard is an American DJ, music producer and film director.