The Unknown DJ | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Andre Manuel |
| Born | Detroit, Michigan, United States |
| Origin | Compton, California, United States |
| Genres |
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| Years active | 1984–present |
| Labels | Techno Hop Records |
Andre Manuel, [1] 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. [2] Now a legend of West Coast rap, he worked with rapper Ice-T in the early 1980s, then with Alonzo "Grandmaster Lonzo" Williams, [2] and with MC Eiht's group Compton's Most Wanted in the early 1990s. [3]
Manuel started in the music industry through Alonzo Williams, a DJ and party promoter in the Los Angeles area. [1] Since his start in 1974, Williams, working under his brand name Disco Construction, earned the title "Grandmaster Lonzo." [2] In 1979, Lonzo took over The Eve After Dark nightclub, about a quarter mile outside of Compton. [2]
Lonzo mentored Manuel, and they began working together. [1] In 1984, Lonzo formed the Wreckin' Cru, a social group of his nightclub's resident DJs. [2] While working with the Cru, Manuel took on a DJ name, The Unknown DJ. [1] The Wreckin' Cru, which included DJ Yella and Dr. Dre, soon gained a rapper, CLI-nTEL, and began recording the electro rap. [2]
After taking classes at Long Beach City College to further his abilities in electronic music and recording, Unknown launched Techno Hop Records. [2] Since 1984, he produced or released such "techno hop" songs—fusions of electro funk and hip hop [1] —as "Basstronic," "808 Beats," and "Let's Jam." He had also produced early tracks of Ice-T, and then gangsta rap's inaugural anthem, Ice-T's 1986 B-side "6 in the Mornin'." [2] Later, Unknown DJ produced for MC Eiht's crew Compton's Most Wanted. Other artists include A.L.T., Brownside, N.W.A, Bobby Jimmy, and King Tee.
The Unknown DJ also figures, if tangentially, into the story of Death Row Records, whose cofounder Dr. Dre is a Wreckin' Cru alumnus. Reportedly, Dre's colleague The D.O.C. had suggested naming the newly forming label Def Row. [4] [5] But, already owning the rights to that name, DJ Unknown would later explain that he had made the name for a potential record label to open under Morgan Creek Entertainment Group. [6] In July 1991, Unknown sold the rights to Dre's team, including Suge Knight at the forming label's helm. However, the team chose, by 1992, to name the label more bluntly. [7]
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Straight Outta Compton is the debut studio album by 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 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, better known by his stage name DJ Yella, is an American DJ, rapper, record producer and film director from Los Angeles, California.
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C.I.A., a name short for Cru' in Action!, replacing the earlier name Stereo Crew, was a rap 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.
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"I'm the one who told Dre to change the name to Death Row," Curry says.
The name Death Row came from my partner, Unknown [DJ]. Initially, it was supposed to be Def Row, as in Def Jam. D-E-F. And Dre bought the name Def Row and changed the name.
