A request that this article title be changed to Ultramagnetic MC's is under discussion . Please do not move this article until the discussion is closed. |
Ultramagnetic MCs | |
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Background information | |
Origin | The Bronx, New York City, U.S. |
Genres | Hip hop |
Years active |
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Labels |
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Members | Kool Keith Ced-Gee TR Love Moe Love Jaycee |
The Ultramagnetic MCs is an American hip hop group based in the Bronx, New York City. [1] Founded by Kool Keith, the group also includes Ced Gee, TR Love, and Moe Love. [2] Tim Dog became an unofficial member in 1989. In 1990, DJ Jaycee was added as a road manager and backup DJ. Big.D was put down with the crew by Kool Keith in 1989. A former member, Rooney Roon, was fired following an assault arrest. Beat-boxer Rahzel was also involved with the group early in its career. The group's work was associated with unorthodox sampling, polysyllabic rhymes, and bizarre lyrical imagery.
The Ultramagnetic MCs formed in 1984. Their first single was "To Give You Love" (1985) on the Diamond International label. The group released "Ego Trippin'", their first 12-inch single, on Next Plateau Records in 1986. It was the first hip hop song to feature the "Synthetic Substitution" drum break sample, composed by Melvin Bliss and one of the most sampled songs of all time. [3] The group's next single was "Travelling at the Speed of Thought (Original)"/"M.C.'s Ultra (Part Two)" followed by "Funky"/"Mentally Mad", one of their most sought-after 12-inch singles. "Travelling" used extensive sampling from "Louie Louie" by the Kingsmen while "Funky" was based on a Joe Cocker piano sample later used as the basis for 2Pac's "California Love". The single was released in 1987, and led to the release of the group's first album.
The Ultramagnetic MCs released a new school classic in 1988, Critical Beatdown , introducing many new sampling techniques. Many believe[ who? ] that without the group's primary producer, Ced Gee, the golden era of sampling may have looked very different. Ced, while uncredited, also produced the majority of Boogie Down Productions' seminal Criminal Minded . [4] These albums are among the first to use "chopped" samples, rearranged and edited to change context. Both albums also feature many James Brown samples, which became prominent in hip hop in ensuing years. KRS-One has been quoted as saying that he was close to joining Ultramagnetic MCs early on. Paul C. was also a major contributor to Critical Beatdown, producing "Give The Drummer Some", and engineering most of the album. [4] Paul C. also produced the Hip-House mix of "Traveling At The Speed Of Thought", which was used as the group's first music video, and was their sole release in 1989. The single's b-side, "A Chorus Line", became one of Ultramagnetic's most popular songs and introduced new group affiliate Tim Dog. A variation of the "A Chorus Line" instrumental was used as the basis of Tim Dog's debut single, the Ced Gee-produced "Fuck Compton", [4] which became a modest hit and is credited with helping to spark the East coast/West coast feud of the mid 1990s.
The group went on a hiatus for several years, breaking up temporarily in 1990. They returned on Mercury Records in 1992, with the album Funk Your Head Up . [4] The album received a muted response, in part because many tracks had been given a commercial sheen, having been remixed by outside producers at the label's insistence. Alternate mixes of this album's songs along with unreleased tracks from the sessions have appeared on later compilations. The song "Poppa Large", remixed by Da Beatminerz, became a hit and remains a staple of Kool Keith's live show. The song's video featured Keith in a straitjacket, his bald head encased in a birdcage.
In 1993, the group released the album The Four Horsemen , [4] which featured guest production and vocals by Godfather Don, who produced solo Kool Keith sessions in 1992. Some of those tracks appear on The Four Horsemen, and also on Cenobites . The former was the last official album the Ultramagnetic MC's released until their 2007 reunion.
There were many semi-legitimate and compilation albums to follow, the most official of which was Next Plateau's The B-Sides Companion, which featured a new song, some unreleased 1989 songs recorded for a second Next Plateau LP and most of the group's classic singles, albeit in newly remixed form. Ced Gee and Moe Love both provided demos and unreleased songs spanning the group's entire career to Tuff City for a series of four albums which were released without Kool Keith's consent. A live album, Brooklyn To Brixton, was announced but abandoned.
As a reaction to Ced and Moe's involvement in the Tuff City releases, Kool Keith and Tim Dog reunited on the album Big Time , released under the group name Ultra in 1997. Kool Keith went on to record many solo CDs, including several under aliases such as Dr. Octagon and Dr. Dooom. His abstract rhymes and syncopated, off-beat delivery influenced many rappers, including Pharoahe Monch from Organized Konfusion and Ghostface Killah of Wu-Tang Clan.
In 2001, Ultramagnetic MCs released a single, "Make It Rain" / "Mix It Down". Two other songs, "Baby, I'm Mad" and "Who Am I?" were recorded at the same sessions, but remain officially unreleased. In 2004, the original versions of the Next Plateau singles were finally released on CD as bonus tracks on the remastered Critical Beatdown. In a 9 December 2005 interview on Houston's Late Nite Snax radio show, [5] Kool Keith confirmed rumours that the Ultramagnetic MC's had reformed and recorded a new album. Founding Ultramagnetic MC's member Ced Gee has set up Factshen Records. A new Ultramagnetic MC's LP, Back to the Future—The Bronx Kings Are Back, was scheduled to be released in 2006 but was later named The Best Kept Secret and released in January 2007. Although the album's cover features the original line-up of Kool Keith, Ced Gee, Moe Love and TR Love, TR (along with Tim Dog) were absent. Instead, guest verses are provided by newcomers like Grafiq Malachi Sebek. However, Tim Dog and TR Love have each recently released songs featuring Ultramagnetic under their own names. The group also released a new song after the album's release called "We About Chix", the video can be seen on YouTube.
The group performed live at the ATP I'll Be Your Mirror festival curated by ATP & Portishead in September 2011 in Asbury Park, New Jersey. [6]
Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | ||||
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US R&B /HH [7] | US Heat. [8] | UK R&B /HH [9] | ||||
Critical Beatdown |
| 57 | — | 17 | ||
Funk Your Head Up | — | — | — | |||
The Four Horsemen |
| 55 | 15 | — | ||
The Best Kept Secret |
| — | — | — | ||
Ultra Laboratory Stories [a] |
| — | — | — | ||
Ced Gee X Kool Keith |
| — | — | — | ||
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that country. |
Title | Album details |
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The Basement Tapes 1984–1990 |
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New York What Is Funky |
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Mo Love's Basement Tapes |
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The B-Sides Companion |
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Smack My Bitch Up |
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Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album | ||
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UK [9] | |||||
"To Give You Love" [14] | 1986 | — | Non-album single | ||
"Ego Trippin'" | — | Critical Beatdown | |||
"Travelling at the Speed of Thought" [15] | 1987 | — | |||
"Funky" [16] | — | ||||
"Watch Me Now" | 1988 | — | |||
"Ease Back" [17] | — | ||||
"Give the Drummer Some" [18] | 1989 | 95 | |||
"Make it Happen" [19] | 1991 | — | Funk Your Head Up | ||
"Poppa Large" [20] | 1992 | — | |||
"Two Brothers with Checks (San Francisco, Harvey)" | — | The Four Horsemen | |||
"Raise it Up" (featuring Godfather Don) [21] | 1993 | — | |||
"I'm Fuckin Flippin" (featuring Kool Keith) [22] | 1994 | — | New York What Is Funky | ||
"Watch Your Back" [23] | 1996 | — | Mo Love's Basement Tapes | ||
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that country. |
Keith Matthew Thornton, better known by his stage name Kool Keith, is an American rapper and record producer from The Bronx, New York City, known for his surreal, abstract and often profane or incomprehensible lyrics. Kool Keith has recorded prolifically both as a solo artist and in group collaborations. Kool Keith is generally considered to be one of hip-hop's most eccentric and unusual personalities.
Nathaniel Thomas Wilson, better known by his stage name Kool G Rap, is an American rapper. He began his career in the mid-1980s as one half of the group Kool G Rap & DJ Polo and as a member of the Juice Crew. He is widely considered to be one of the most influential and skilled MCs of all time, and a pioneer of mafioso rap/street/hardcore content and multisyllabic rhyming. On his album The Giancana Story, he stated that the "G" in his name stands for "Giancana", but on other occasions he has stated that it stands for "Genius".
The Cenobites LP is the eponymous debut album by the American hip hop duo the Cenobites, composed of rapper Kool Keith and producer Godfather Don. It was first released as an EP in 1995 via Fondle 'Em Records and was later expanded for LP in 1997 and CD in 2000. Percee P and Bobbito Garcia made guest appearances on the record.
Critical Beatdown is the debut studio album by American hip hop group Ultramagnetic MCs, released on October 4, 1988, by Next Plateau Records. The album was produced primarily by the group's rapper and producer Ced-Gee, who employed an E-mu SP-1200 sampler as the album's main instrument. Music journalists have noted the album for its innovative production, funk-based samples, self-assertive themes, and clever lyrical rhymes by Ced-Gee and rapper Kool Keith.
The Treacherous Three was a pioneering American hip hop group that was formed in 1978 and consisted of DJ Easy Lee, Kool Moe Dee, L.A. Sunshine, Special K and Spoonie Gee, with occasional contributions from DJ Dano B, DJ Reggie Reg and DJ Crazy Eddie. They first appeared on record in 1980 on the B-side of Spoonie Gee's single, "Love Rap".
Paul C. McKasty, better known as Paul C, was an American East Coast hip hop pioneer, producer, engineer, and mixer in the 1980s. McKasty gained recognition for his work with notable artists such as Devo, Organized Konfusion, Kwamé, Queen Latifah, Biz Markie, Ultramagnetic MCs, Rahzel, and Eric B & Rakim. Complex called him "one of the most important figures in the development of sampling" and Questlove of the Roots called McKasty, "damn near the J Dilla of his day."
Sex Style is an album by the American rapper Kool Keith. It was released in 1997 via Funky Ass Records and was produced by KutMasta Kurt and Keith's Ultramagnetic MCs' bandmate T.R. Love. It is a dirty rap concept album utilizing a lyrical style Keith referred to as "pornocore". Although the album did not chart, it was reissued in 2006 with a bonus track "Get Off My Elevator", which was featured in 1999 film Office Space soundtrack.
The Best Kept Secret is the fourth studio album by American hip hop group Ultramagnetic MCs. It was released on January 9, 2007, via DMAFT Records. Audio production was handled by Ariel 'Cartel' Caban and Ultramagnetic MCs' members DJ Moe Love, Ced Gee, and Kool Keith under his moniker Underwear Pissy. The album cover features the original line-up, but T.R. Love, as well as longtime associate Tim Dog, do not appear on the record. The album featured guest appearances from Gee-Banga and Goody-2.
The Basement Tapes 1984–1990 is a compilation album by the Ultramagnetic MCs. It features the very first studio and home recordings made by the group, as well as early unreleased songs and one new track, "Smoking Dust." Many of the tracks suffer from poor sound quality, their source being deteriorated cassette tapes. "Ced-G, Tim Dog " and "Ya Not That Large" are not on the vinyl release.
The Four Horsemen is the third studio album by American hip hop group Ultramagnetic MCs. It was released on August 10, 1993, via Wild Pitch Records. Audio production was handled by Ultramagnetic MCs, except for four tracks produced by Godfather Don, who helped to incorporate a darker, jazzier sound than the group's previous work. "Checkin' My Style" and "See the Man on the Street" were originally recorded in 1992 during Godfather Don-produced sessions for a projected solo album for Kool Keith's alias Rhythm X. Those same sessions also produced songs released on Cenobites LP, the CD edition of which contains the original extended version of "Checkin' My Style," retitled "Return To Zero." The Four Horsemen includes recurring science fiction and baseball themes and was viewed by fans as a welcome return to the group's hardcore roots. Because of a manufacturing error, the current Fontana Distribution pressing is identified as the U.M.C.'s on the covering sticker under the shrink wrap. The album peaked at number 55 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and number 15 on the Heatseekers Albums.
Big Time is the only album by Ultra, an American hip hop group composed of Kool Keith and Tim Dog, who had previously collaborated as part of Ultramagnetic MCs. The duo only released one album, which contained many disses towards other rappers. It has been called "the holy Grail of the Kool Keith catalog, owing mostly to its rarity".
Penicillin on Wax is the debut studio album by American New York-based rapper Tim Dog. It was released on November 12, 1991, via Ruffhouse Records. The album was produced by Tim Dog, Ced-Gee, TR Love and Moe Love from Ultramagnetic MC's, Bobby Crawford, and Louis Flores. Kool Keith made uncredited guest appearances on two tracks.
Do or Die is the second studio album by American New York-based rapper Tim Dog. It was released in 1993 via Ruffhouse/Columbia, and produced entirely by Tim Dog. The album represented Tim's shift of focus, away from confrontation with the West Coast and concentrated on hardcore East Coast rap. The album contained a shout-out to Tupac Shakur whom Tim thanked for assisting him when involved in a potentially violent situation when touring in California.
"Fuck Compton" is a diss track written and performed by the American rapper Tim Dog, released in 1991 through Ruffhouse Records as the lead single from the rapper's debut studio album Penicillin on Wax. It is a diss track criticizing the West Coast hip hop scene, including the Compton-based group N.W.A and its members Eazy-E and Dr. Dre as well as the latter's then-girlfriend Michel'le. The song is often credited for igniting the East Coast–West Coast rivalry of the 1990s. Production was handled by Ultramagnetic MCs' member Ced-Gee and Tim Dog himself. The song peaked atop of the US Billboard Hot Rap Songs chart. Later in 2018 it was place at #19 on Complex's "The 50 Best Hip-Hop Diss Songs" list.
One is the third solo album by jazz keyboardist Bob James. It was an important album in the early smooth jazz genre and is famous for its end track, "Nautilus", which became important to hip hop as one of the most sampled tracks in American music.
The Treacherous Three is the first studio album by American hip hop group Treacherous Three. It was released in 1984 via Sugar Hill Records with distribution of MCA Records and produced by Sylvia Robinson. Complex (magazine) puts the album at number 37 on their 50 Greatest Rap Albums 1980s.
Antoinette Lovell Patterson, known simply by the mononym Antoinette, is an American rapper from Bronx, New York, who released two albums, during the late 1980s and early 1990s.
Cedric "Ced-Gee" Miller is an American hip hop producer and rapper from the Bronx, New York. He is best known as a member of Ultramagnetic MCs. He received special thanks for his production on Boogie Down Productions' Criminal Minded, and he produced Tim Dog's "Fuck Compton". He has also worked alongside Antoinette, Bill Cosby, Blak Prophetz, Doug E. Fresh, Jeff Redd, Paperboy, Spaceman Patterson, Sybil, and Treacherous Three.
Kool Keith, the American recording artist from The Bronx, has a discography by 2021 that consisted of 39 studio albums, of which 18 were solo projects, and 20 albums in collaboration with other artists. His most recent studio album, Keith's Salon was released in 2021. Kool Keith has collaborated with TomC3, 54–71, Denis Deft, Big Sche Eastwood, L'Orange, Ray West, Thetan, and was in the groups Ultramagnetic MCs, The Cenobites, Ultra, Analog Brothers, Masters of Illusion, KHM/Clayborne Family, Thee Undatakerz, The Diesel Truckers.
"Ego Trippin′" is a 1986 song by Ultramagnetic MCs. The group made a stylistic breakthrough with it; the song boasted dense, minimalist production, featuring erratic lyricism by Ced-Gee and Kool Keith, synthesizer riffs and was the first song to sample Melvin Bliss's "Synthetic Substitution", now one of the most sampled songs of all time.
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