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Heltah Skeltah | |
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Background information | |
Also known as | Sparsky & Dutch |
Origin | Brooklyn, New York City, U.S. |
Genres | |
Years active |
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Labels | Duck Down |
Past members | Rock Ruck |
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.
Heltah Skeltah debuted on Smif-N-Wessun's album Dah Shinin' in 1995, appearing on the tracks "Wontime", "Cession at da Doghillee" and "Let's Git It On". Later in 1995, they grouped up with fellow Boot Camp members O.G.C. to form the Fab 5 (a nod to the Beatles), and released a surprise hit single, "Leflaur Leflah Eshkoshka". Out of the Fab 5 members, Rock and Sean Price received the most attention for their charisma and chemistry. The duo released their debut album Nocturnal in June 1996, which included "Leflah", as well as the singles "Operation Lock Down" and "Therapy". The album sold over 250,000 copies in the United States, and has become a classic because of its grimy, basement sound and strong lyrics. The duo released a group album with the Boot Camp in 1997, then followed in 1998 with their second effort Magnum Force . The album's lead single, "I Ain't Havin' That" (sampled from the A Tribe Called Quest track "Hot Sex", with the chorus sampling Redman's 1996 hit "Pick it Up"), became a Hot 100 hit. Despite the single's success, the album was criticized due to its lighter content. Price and Rock seemed disillusioned with their lack of sales, and split up. Rock began having problems with Duck Down Records, and split with the label, signing to DJ Lethal's Lethal Records. He planned to release an album titled Planet Rock, but the label folded and the album disappeared. Sean Price remained with the Camp for their second album The Chosen Few in 2002. Heltah Skeltah reunited in 2005, making appearances on Sean Price's solo album Monkey Barz and Smif-N-Wessun's Smif 'N' Wessun: Reloaded . The duo continued work with the Boot Camp for their third group effort The Last Stand , released in July 2006. In 2007, Heltah Skeltah had a track included on the Official Joints mixtape, a collection of previously unreleased songs by NYC rappers. Heltah Skeltah dropped their third album together titled D.I.R.T. (Da Incredible Rap Team) which was released on September 30, 2008. [1] Sean Price died in his sleep on August 8, 2015. He was 43 years old. [2]
Rock had his own song called "I Am Rock", which was not used in any Heltah Skeltah albums and was prominently featured in EA video games which include NFL Street 2 , Need for Speed: Most Wanted , Madden NFL Arcade , EA Sports UFC 2 , and made an appearance in the "Legends" update of the 2015 Need for Speed remake.
Rockness Monsta released a solo album in 2022 "Ether Rocks" it features Ron Brows, Frankie Storm, Method Man, and Ruste Juxx.
Year | Album | Billboard Chart | ||
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U.S. | R&B/Hip-Hop | |||
1996 | Nocturnal | 35 | 5 | |
1998 | Magnum Force | 34 | 8 | |
2008 | D.I.R.T. (Da Incredible Rap Team) | 122 | 35 |
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.
Black Moon 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". 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.
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.
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".
O.G.C. is an American hip hop trio composed of members Starang Wondah, Louieville Sluggah and Top Dog. The group is mostly known through their membership in the Boot Camp Clik, along with Buckshot, Smif-N-Wessun and Heltah Skeltah.
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.
Sean Duval Price was an American rapper and member of the hip hop collective Boot Camp Clik. He was one half of the duo Heltah Skeltah, performing under the name Ruck, along with partner Rock.
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.
Magnum Force is the second studio album by the American hip hop duo Heltah Skeltah. It was released on October 13, 1998, through Duck Down/Priority Records.
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.
Monkey Barz is the debut solo studio album by American Brooklyn-based rapper Sean Price of Heltah Skeltah. It was released on May 31, 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.
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.
Representativz are an American hip hop duo formed in 1994 by rappers Supreme The Eloheem and Lidu Rock. The group gained fame through their affiliation with the Boot Camp Clik, with Lidu Rock being the little brother of Heltah Skeltah's Rock, while Supreme being the blood cousin of both Smif-N-Wessun's Steele & O.G.C.'s Top Dog.
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.
D.I.R.T. is the third and final studio album by American hip hop duo Heltah Skeltah. It was released on September 30, 2008 via Duck Down Music, making it their first album in ten years since the release of Magnum Force in 1998.
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.
Monumental is a collaborative studio album by American rapper and record producer Pete Rock and hip hop duo Smif-N-Wessun. It was released on June 28, 2011 through Duck Down Music. Recording sessions took place at DaMan Studios in New York. Production was handled entirely by Pete Rock, who also served as executive producer together with Steele and Tek. It features guest appearances from Black Rob, Buckshot, Bun B, Freeway, Heltah Skeltah, Hurricane G, Jahdan Blakkamoore, Memphis Bleek, Raekwon, Styles P, Top Dog and Tyler Woods. The album peaked at number 110 on the Billboard 200 and number 24 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums.
"Leflaur Leflah Eshkoshka" is a song by American hip hop group The Fab 5. It was released in 1995 via Duck Down/Priority Records as the lead single from Heltah Skeltah's debut studio album Nocturnal. Recording sessions took place at D&D Studios in New York City. Production was handled by Baby Paul with executive producers Buckshot and Drew "Dru-Ha" Friedman. The song contains a sample from The Catalyst's "Uzuri". Music video was directed by Marcus Turner.