Stetsasonic
OriginBrooklyn, New York, U.S.
GenresHip hop
Years active1981–1992, 2008–present
LabelsTommy Boy/Warner Bros. Records
MembersPrince Paul (Paul Edward Huston)
MC Delite (Marvin Shahid Wright)
Wise (Leonardo Roman)
Daddy-O (Glenn K. Bolton)
Bobby Simmons
Past membersFrukwan (Arnold Hamilton)
DBC (Martin Nemley)

Stetsasonic is an American hip hop band. Formed in 1981 in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, Stetsasonic was one of the first hip hop acts to perform with a full band and use live instrumentation in their recordings, paving the way for future hip hop bands such as The Roots. The band combined beat-boxing, sampling technology, and live band performance, incorporating R&B, jazz, dancehall reggae, and rock into its sound.[1] Stetsasonic is also considered one of the acts that pioneered jazz rap.[2]

Though rumored to have disbanded in 1991, soon after the release of its third album, Blood, Sweat & No Tears, Stetsasonic continues to record and perform together, as evidenced by their subsequent release, "People In The Neighborhood", and their performance at the Urban Matterz Hip Hop Festival in 2019. Individual members branched out to explore solo careers, while still maintaining Stetsasonic.[2] Frukwan and Prince Paul were founding members of the Gravediggaz, while the latter also became a record producer, as did Daddy-O.[3]

History

Originally, the band was known as The Stetsasonic 3 MC's. The original group consisted of Daddy-O, Delite, and Crown Supreme.[2] Daddy-O and Delite changed the group's name and style to Stetsasonic the Hip-Hop Band. Additional members were: Wise The Human Mix Machine; Prince Paul; the Devastating Beat Creator (DBC); drummer Bobby Simmons; and Frukwan, who replaced Crown Supreme. Stetsasonic clinched a deal with Tommy Boy Records when DBC created and played the funky bassline for its debut single "If You Can't Say It All Just Say STET", live for Tom Silverman, owner of Tommy Boy. After a few months of the single being in regular rotation on radio stations, the band released its first album On Fire (1986).[3] The album received mixed reviews, though the follow-ups, In Full Gear and Blood, Sweat & No Tears, were critically acclaimed.[2]

A 1988 The New York Times article said that the band mirrored the rise of artistic, profound rap music: "While pop's political commentary often seems secondary to catchy melodies and commercial acceptability, rap's tough sound sharpens its commentary".[4] As a "hip hop band", dependent on instruments as well as turntables, the band was also known for live shows, though sometimes the "rap-show format prevented Stetsasonic from employing the band instrumentation and studio layering that make their records so distinctive."[5]

Fruitkwan and Prince Paul were founding members of the Gravediggaz, while the latter also became a record producer.[2] Daddy-O went on to a solo career, while also working as a record producer, working with Freestyle Fellowship, Mary J. Blige, Positive K and the Red Hot Chili Peppers, among others.[3] Prince Paul went on to produce the trio De La Soul.[2] Drummer Bobby Simmons pursued work in public access, forming the show Flava Videos in the mid-1990s on Channel 26 (New York). In 2017, Simmons was a contestant on the FOX game show Beat Shazam where he was partnered with singer Shannon. MC Delite is currently the President and CEO of Flight Entertainment and a public speaker.[6] DBC proceeded to produce tracks for Third World and the Cookie Crew, among others. In 1995, he became the owner and operator of Raw Beat Productions, a music & video recording studio, located in Philadelphia. In 2016, he invented the MN-1 Advanced Portable Power System, which is a sustainable energy source with a swappable battery compartment and solar-based charging system.[7]

Wise also participated in a few commercials in which he lends his beatbox sounds. One was for Campbell's Soup in which a cartoon of a B-boy bear beatboxes. The commercial was broadcast amid Saturday morning cartoons. Wise was also featured in a documentary on the art of the human beatbox, Breath Control: the History of the Human Beat Box, which was shown at the Tribeca Film Festival and also featured fellow human percussionists such as Doug E. Fresh, Biz Markie, Ready Rock C, and Emanon.

Stetsasonic released the single "(Now Ya'll Givin' Up) Love" in 2020. They proposed an upcoming album called Here We Go Again.[8]

Discography

Studio albums

List of studio albums, with selected chart positions
Title Album details Peak chart positions
US
R&B
/HH
[9]		 UK Dance
[10]
On Fire 32 —
In Full Gear
  • Released: June 21, 1988
  • Label: Tommy Boy/Warner Bros.
  • Format: CD, LP, Cassette, digital download, streaming
 20 34
Blood, Sweat & No Tears
  • Released: February 5, 1991
  • Label: Tommy Boy/Warner Bros.
  • Format: CD, LP, Cassette, digital download, streaming
 75 —
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

EPs

List of extended plays
Title Details Track listings
People in the Neighborhood 1991-1994 EP
  • Released: April 1, 2016[11]
  • Label: Chopped Herring
  • Formats: LP (Limited Edition)
Track listing
  1. "Big Up"
  2. "Funk Around"
  3. "Strawberry Letter" (featuring The Brothers Johnson)
  4. "Check da Styles"
  5. "People in the Neighborhood"
  6. "Give It to Me"
(Now Y'all Giving Up) Love
  • Released: July 31, 2021[12]
  • Label: The SpitSLAM
  • Formats: CD, digital download, streaming
Track listing
  1. "(Now Y'All Giving Up) Love (Video Mix)"
  2. "(Now Y'All Giving Up) Love (Mrok Remix)"
  3. "(Now Y'All Giving Up) Love (Odad / DJ Saywhaat Remix"
  4. "(Now Y'All Giving Up) Love (C-Doc Remixx)"
  5. "So Let the Fun Begin (Let the Fun Continue…)"
  6. "(Silence)"
  7. "So Let the Fun Begin (Let the Fun Continue… Dub Version)"

Singles

As lead artist

List of singles with selected chart positions, showing year released and album name
Title Year Peak chart positions Album
US Dance
[13]		 US R&B
[14]		 US Rap
[15]		 AUS
[16]		 NED
[17]		 UK
[10]		 UK Dance
[10]
"Just Say Stet" 1985 ——————— On Fire
"Go Stetsa I" 1986 ———————
"Faye/Forever My Beat" ———————
"A.F.R.I.C.A."
(featuring The Rev. Jesse Jackson and Olatunji and the Drums Of Passion)		 1987 ——————— Non-album single
"Sally/DBC Let the Music Play" 1988 —25———100— In Full Gear
"Talkin' All That Jazz" 2234—87—73—
"Float On"
(featuring Force M.D.s)		 —5624—9191—
"A.F.R.I.C.A. (Norman Cook Remix)" 1990 —————81— Blood, Sweat & No Tears
"Speaking of a Girl Named Suzy/Anytime, Anyplace"[18] ———————
"No B.S. Allowed"[18] 1991 ———————
"So Let the Fun Begin/Hip Hop Band"[18] ———————
"Talkin' All That Jazz (Dimitri from Paris Remix)" 1998 —————541 A Night at the Playboy Mansion
"The Hip Hop Band/Talkin All That Jazz"[18] ——————— Blood, Sweat & No Tears and In Full Gear
"(Now Y'all Giving Up) Love" 2020 ——————— Non-album singles
"Here We Go Again" 2022 ———————
"Fallen Soldiers" ———————
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.
List of singles as featured artist, with selected chart positions and certifications, showing year released and album name
Title Year Peak chart positions Certifications Album
US Dance
[13]		 US R&B
[14]		 US Rap
[15]		 NZ
[19]		 UK
[10]
"Self Destruction"
(as part of Stop the Violence Movement)		 1989 —[lower-alpha 1]3013375 Non-album single

Guest appearances

List of non-single guest appearances, showing year released and album name
Title Year Album
"I Ain't Making It"[22] 1989 Lean on Me Soundtrack

Notes

  1. ↑ "Self Destruction" did not enter the Dance Club Songs, but peaked at number 7 on the Dance/Electronic Singles Sales.[20]

References

  1. ↑ Price, Emmett George (2006). Hip Hop Culture. ABC-CLIO. p. 295. ISBN 1851098674. Retrieved August 21, 2013.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Colin Larkin, ed. (1998). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Dance Music (First ed.). Virgin Books. p. 325. ISBN 0-7535-0252-6.
  3. 1 2 3 Stetsasonic at AllMusic
  4. ↑ Watrous, Peter. "Recordings; Rappers Keep Their Music's Content Fresh", The New York Times, 10 January 1988.
  5. ↑ Palmer, Robert. "Rock: 'Def Jam 87,' Rap at the Garden", The New York Times, 5 September 1987.
  6. ↑ "Takeoff". flightentertainment.biz. 7 April 2014. Archived from the original on 2014-04-07. Retrieved June 28, 2021.
  7. ↑ "3. DOKIO 80 Watt Solar Panel and the MN -1 and Base Charger by D.B.C. Stetsasonic". 2018-08-09. Archived from the original on 2021-12-11. Retrieved 2019-04-21 – via YouTube.
  8. ↑ Eustice, Kyle (29 May 2022). "Daddy-O Talks Stetsasonic's First Album in Nearly 30 Years: 'Classic Hip Hop Has a Place'". HipHopDX. Retrieved 2022-05-30.
  9. ↑ "Stetsasonic Chart History". Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. Retrieved 2020-12-02.
  10. 1 2 3 4 "Stetsasonic - UK Chart". The Official Charts Company. Retrieved 3 December 2020.
  11. ↑ Stetsasonic (2016). People In The Neighborhood 1991-1994 EP (track listing). Chopped Herring Records. CH5TET5A01.
  12. ↑ Stetsasonic (2016). (Now Y'All Giving Up) Love (track listing). The SpitSLAM Record Label Group. SS2070SCD.
  13. 1 2 "Stetsasonic Chart History". Dance Club Songs. Retrieved 2020-12-03.
  14. 1 2 "Stetsasonic Chart History". Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. Retrieved 2020-12-03.
  15. 1 2 "Stetsasonic Chart History". Hot Rap Songs. Retrieved 2020-12-03.
  16. ↑ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 267.
  17. ↑ "Stetsasonic Chart History (Dutch Charts)". Retrieved December 3, 2020.
  18. 1 2 3 4 MC Lyte (1997). Druglord Superstar (track listing). EastWest America. 7559-63918-2.
  19. ↑ "MC Lyte Chart History (Recorded Music NZ)". Retrieved September 9, 2020.
  20. ↑ "Dance Singles Sales". Billboard. Retrieved 16 September 2021.
  21. ↑ "American album certifications – Stop the Violence Movement". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved September 10, 2020.
  22. ↑ "Lean on Me – Original Soundtrack > Overview". AllMusic. Retrieved December 7, 2020.
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