Diggin' in the Crates Crew

Last updated
D.I.T.C.
Origin New York City
Genres Hip hop
Years active1992–present
Labels Tommy Boy
Past members

The Diggin' in the Crates Crew, also known as D.I.T.C., is an American hip hop collective formed in 1992 in New York City. The collective's name derives from the act of seeking out records to sample for production. The collective is composed of Lord Finesse, Diamond D, Big L, O.C., Fat Joe, Buckwild, Showbiz and A.G., DJ O.Gee and The Ghetto Dwellas. Its members have achieved substantial and consistent recognition in underground rap circles, having often collaborated with undiscovered talents and underground hip hop artists alongside the most commercial of rappers.

Contents

History

Background and formation

Lord Finesse (born Robert Hall) is a rapper-turned-producer who has produced tracks for The Notorious B.I.G. (1994's Ready to Die ) and Dr. Dre (1999's 2001 ). As a young MC, he would travel to any borough in New York to battle their best rapper and win. He shopped his demo to various record labels and eventually dropped the first of several records, 1990's Funky Technician . The record had a few tracks produced by his longtime friend Diamond (formerly Diamond D), a former member of the rap group Ultimate Force. In the mid-'80s, he was turntable scratching at late-night park parties, often competing with area top DJs (with future cohort Showbiz, being one of his rivals). In 1992, this DJ, then a producer, showcased New York City's underground talent and his rap skills on his classic debut Stunts, Blunts & Hip-Hop .

Bronx-native Fat Joe became the first Latino rapper in New York to secure a solo deal with a major label with his 1993 debut Representin' . In 1998, his Don Cartagena release went gold (500,000 copies sold). Showbiz & A.G. were the first to adopt the do-it-yourself attitude by releasing their 1992 debut EP, Can I Get a Soul Clap , practically out of the trunk of their cars. Showbiz, a name he'd stolen from an old Richard Pryor record, pioneered taking an instrumental and looping voices over it. His partner A.G. was known as the Bronx's "punchline" rapper. Through the mid-'90s, he was a prolific producer, producing tracks for primarily underground rap acts. In 1999, A.G. restarted his rap career with his solo CD Dirty Version .

Meanwhile, another Bronx native named Buckwild, who once started out as Lord Finesse's apprentice in his production company, started producing tracks around 1994. He first gained major recognition in the underground rap scene for producing tracks for O.C.'s Word... Life in 1994. He went on to produce for several prominent rappers, including Fat Joe, The Notorious B.I.G., Big L and Big Pun. After the release of Word... Life, O.C. made numerous guest appearances on other D.I.T.C. members' records while maintaining a low profile. One of the less prolific members of the group, DJ O.Gee, contributed production to his frequent collaborator O.C.'s Word... Life, Jewelz , and Hidden Gems, as well as the track "Your Life" for Soul In The Hole (Soundtrack). DJ O.Gee also produced "Laughing At You" from Big Pun's 2000 album Yeeeah Baby, contributed scratches to Buckwild's remix of Channel Live's song "Mad Izm" on the 2007 compilation Buckwild: Diggin In The Crates , and contributed a remix to the 2014 D.I.T.C.: The Remix Project. [1] The third member of D.I.T.C. was Big L, a gangsta rapper from Harlem. Staying true to hardcore hip hop and calling himself the "flamboyant MC", he issued his 1995 debut Lifestylez ov da Poor and Dangerous on Columbia Records. Big L was working on his second album, due for release on Rawkus Records, when he was murdered on February 15, 1999 at age 24. [2] The remaining D.I.T.C. members came together later that year for a memorial concert at Trammps in New York (anthologized by a series of CD releases), and recorded a self-titled group record in 2000.

Later years

On December 4, 2008, D.I.T.C. member Party Arty unexpectedly died of unspecified health complications, aged 31. In 2008, Freddie Foxxx (using his Bumpy Knuckles pseudonym) released the long-shelved Crazy Like A Foxxx album. The second of two discs featured DITC produced demo versions of the original tracks dating to 1993. [3] DITC production contrasted with the Jailhouse version of production from 1994.

In 2011, Showbiz stated that the crew itself is now defunct and will no longer create any new albums in the future citing musical creative differences. [4] However, member O.C. confirmed that the group would indeed record a brand new album with production so far from Diamond D and Lord Finesse, while awaiting Buckwild. He stated that their deceased member Big L would not want them to end their legacy like this. [5] On October 28, 2016, D.I.T.C. released Sessions, preceded by the lead single "Rock Shyt". [6] [7]

Discography

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<i>Return of the Funky Man</i> Album by Lord Finesse

Return of the Funky Man is the second studio album by American hip hop recording artist Lord Finesse of Diggin' in the Crates Crew. It was released on February 11, 1992 via Warner Bros. subsidiary label Giant Records. Production was handled by seven record producers, including Diamond D, Showbiz, DJ Aladdin, SLJ, Latif, Petawane, and Lord Finesse himself. It also features guest appearances provided by A.G., Percee P, Harry-O and Shelrumble. The album peaked at number 95 on the US Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, and its self-titled single made it to number 13 on the Hot Rap Songs.

<i>The Dirty Version</i> 1999 studio album by A.G.

The Dirty Version is the first solo studio album by American rapper and producer A.G. of Diggin' in the Crates Crew. It was released on September 21, 1999 through Silva Dom Records with distribution via Landspeed Records. Production was handled by several record producers, including Buckwild, Diamond D, DJ Premier, Lord Finesse, Showbiz and A.G. It features guest appearances from Big Pun, Fat Joe, Guru, Kool Chuck, KRS-One, O.C., and the Ghetto Dwellas among others.

<i>D.I.T.C.</i> (album) 2000 studio album by Diggin in the Crates Crew

D.I.T.C. is the debut studio album by American New York-based hip hop collective Diggin' in the Crates Crew. It was released on February 22, 2000 via Tommy Boy Records. It features contributions from all the eight members of the group: Lord Finesse, Showbiz and A.G., Diamond D, Fat Joe, O.C., Buckwild and the late Big L, as well as Big Pun, Milano, Cuban Link, KRS-One, and production from DJ Premier, Amed Harris and Rockwilder. The album peaked at number 141 on the Billboard 200, number 31 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and number 9 on the Independent Albums in the United States.

<i>Hidden Gems</i> 2007 compilation album by O.C.

Hidden Gems is a compilation album by rapper O.C. from the D.I.T.C. crew, released on April 3, 2007. It's a mix of non-album songs, remixes, unreleased tracks and soundtracks and a couple of works with his group. The earliest tracks appearing here dates back to 1992 with the demo version of "O-Zone" and the previously unreleased "Snakes", and the album also includes two newly recorded songs. The tracks are placed in chronological order and works as an overseeing of O.C.'s career between his start to 2007.

This is the discography of American rapper KRS-One.

<i>Buckwild: Diggin in the Crates</i> 2007 compilation album

Buckwild: Diggin' in the Crates is a compilation of rare hip hop songs and remixes produced by Buckwild.

The following is a discography of production credited to Diamond D.

References

  1. ↑ "D.I.T.C. :: The Remix Project (Deluxe Edition) :: D.I.T.C. Entertainment/Slice of Spice". Rapreviews.com. Retrieved 2019-05-30.
  2. ↑ "Casualty of the Game: The Big L Story". Complex. Retrieved 3 March 2021.
  3. ↑ "Bumpy Knuckles - Crazy Like A Foxxx (CD, Album) at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved 2012-03-23.
  4. ↑ "PodOmatic | Best Free Podcasts". Conspiracyworldwide.podomatic.com. Retrieved 2012-03-23.
  5. ↑ Paine, Jake (April 16, 2012). "O.C. Confirms D.I.T.C. Recording Sophomore Album, Big L Inspired Reunion". HipHopDX. Cheri Media Group. Archived from the original on April 20, 2012. Retrieved May 16, 2012.
  6. ↑ "D.I.T.C. Announce 'Sessions' Album, Drop "Rock Shyt" Featuring Fat Joe, Lord Finesse and Diamond D". XXL Mag. Retrieved January 22, 2020.
  7. ↑ "New Music: D.I.T.C. – 'Rock Shyt' (Feat. Fat Joe, Lord Finesse & Diamond D) | HipHop-N-More". Archived from the original on 2016-10-05. Retrieved 2016-10-04.
  8. ↑ "DITC STUDIOS ALBUM • Deluxe Edition x2CD • ORDER NOW!". Soundcloud.com. Retrieved January 22, 2020.
  9. ↑ "Sessions by D.I.T.C." Music.apple.com. Retrieved January 22, 2020.
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