C-Block
Encyclopedia
C-Block were a German
platinum-selling hip-hop group, founded in 1995 by music producers Frank Müller, Ulrich Buchmann and Jörg Wagner. Fronted by Anthony "Red Dogg" Joseph and James "Mr.P" White the group is widely acknowledged as one of the most successful acts in the history of European hip hop culture.
C-Block were one of the most well-known hip hop acts in Europe in the 1990s, who along with Down Low
and Nana
, signified the rise of the American-influenced rap music in Europe.
and C+C Music Factory
had remarkable success in the early 1990s, producers Frank Müller, Ulrich Buchmann and Jörg Wagner decided to put together such a group in 1995.
The Persian Gulf War had ended in 1991 and former American soldiers who had decided to remain in Germany were all over the country. Some of them were musicians who hadn't had a chance to capitalize off their talent back home and were willing to try a musical career in Europe. Anthony "Red Dogg" Joseph and James "Mr.P" White met in such circumstances and were recruited by Frank Müller to become part of his newly-created musical project.
They chose the name "C-Block" and released their debut single, "Shake Dat Azz", a collaboration with Chicago rapper A.K.-S.W.I.F.T. in late 1996, which made a lasting impression on their European fan base. However, their greatest hits were only ahead of them at the time. "So Strung Out", a more rap-oriented single, was released as their sophomore effort and catapulted the group to European superstardom. Based on a Soul Searchers sample, already made famous by Eric B. & Rakim and Run-DMC, called "Ashley's Roachclip", "So Strung Out" was a soulful ode to drug victims across the world and had a lasting impact in the European rap community.
Unfulfilled plans of a solo career made Mr.P leave the group in late 1997, being replaced by until then less visible project members Theresa "Misty" Baltimore and Preston "Goldie Gold" Holloway who had only recorded backing vocals and choruses for the C-Block debut album, "General Population", released in 1997. They all quit the project after the more pop-oriented, less successful second album, ironically called "Keepin' It Real".
Mr.P returned to the group and tried to make a comeback with newly-recruited r&b singer Jeanine Love, but the released singles failed to make an impact commercially or critically and the group officially disbanded in late 2000.
Frank Müller, one of the creators and producers of the group, released the group's third, shelved, album in late 2010 on the Internet.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
platinum-selling hip-hop group, founded in 1995 by music producers Frank Müller, Ulrich Buchmann and Jörg Wagner. Fronted by Anthony "Red Dogg" Joseph and James "Mr.P" White the group is widely acknowledged as one of the most successful acts in the history of European hip hop culture.
C-Block were one of the most well-known hip hop acts in Europe in the 1990s, who along with Down Low
Down Low (rap group)
Down Low is a rap group formed in Kaiserslautern, Germany in 1995 by Joe Thompson and Darren Tucker. The group is known for hits like "Johnny B.". Down Low are considered as one of the first bands who brought Hip Hop in a European style in the middle of the 1990s together with artists such as...
and Nana
Nana (rapper)
Nana Kwame Abrokwa is a German rapper and DJ, performing under the pseudonyms Nana or Darkman / Nana. Nana is not an actual first name, but a Ghanaian title of nobility...
, signified the rise of the American-influenced rap music in Europe.
Biography
Since producer-driven, vocalist-fronted musical projects such as Snap!Snap!
Snap! is a German Eurodance project formed in 1989 by Frankfurt-based producers Michael Münzing and Luca Anzilotti. The act has been through a number of line-up changes over the years, but was most successful when fronted by rapper Turbo B, who performed on the UK number 1 singles "The Power" and...
and C+C Music Factory
C+C Music Factory
C+C Music Factory is a dance-pop and hip hop group formed in 1989 by David Cole and Robert Clivillés which stopped recording 1996, following Cole's death...
had remarkable success in the early 1990s, producers Frank Müller, Ulrich Buchmann and Jörg Wagner decided to put together such a group in 1995.
The Persian Gulf War had ended in 1991 and former American soldiers who had decided to remain in Germany were all over the country. Some of them were musicians who hadn't had a chance to capitalize off their talent back home and were willing to try a musical career in Europe. Anthony "Red Dogg" Joseph and James "Mr.P" White met in such circumstances and were recruited by Frank Müller to become part of his newly-created musical project.
They chose the name "C-Block" and released their debut single, "Shake Dat Azz", a collaboration with Chicago rapper A.K.-S.W.I.F.T. in late 1996, which made a lasting impression on their European fan base. However, their greatest hits were only ahead of them at the time. "So Strung Out", a more rap-oriented single, was released as their sophomore effort and catapulted the group to European superstardom. Based on a Soul Searchers sample, already made famous by Eric B. & Rakim and Run-DMC, called "Ashley's Roachclip", "So Strung Out" was a soulful ode to drug victims across the world and had a lasting impact in the European rap community.
Unfulfilled plans of a solo career made Mr.P leave the group in late 1997, being replaced by until then less visible project members Theresa "Misty" Baltimore and Preston "Goldie Gold" Holloway who had only recorded backing vocals and choruses for the C-Block debut album, "General Population", released in 1997. They all quit the project after the more pop-oriented, less successful second album, ironically called "Keepin' It Real".
Mr.P returned to the group and tried to make a comeback with newly-recruited r&b singer Jeanine Love, but the released singles failed to make an impact commercially or critically and the group officially disbanded in late 2000.
Frank Müller, one of the creators and producers of the group, released the group's third, shelved, album in late 2010 on the Internet.
Singles
| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AUT Ö3 Austria Top 40 Ö3 Austria Top 40 is the name of the official Austrian singles chart, as well as the radio show which presents it, aired Fridays on Hitradio Ö3. The show presents the Austrian singles, ringtones and downloads chart. It premiered on 26 November 1968 as Disc Parade and was presented by Ernst Grissemann... |
FIN Mitä hittiä The Official Finnish Charts is a national record chart in Finland composed by Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland.The singles chart was started in January 1991 as Radiomafian lista and was broadcast on the radio station Radiomafia of the Finnish Broadcasting Company, YLE. This chart is based on a... |
GER | SWE Sverigetopplistan Sverigetopplistan, earlier known as Topplistan and Hitlistan and other names, is since October 2007 the Swedish national record chart, based on sales data from Swedish Recording Industry Association .... |
SWI Swiss Music Charts The Swiss Music Charts are Switzerland's main music sales charts. The charts are a record of the highest-selling singles and albums in various genres in Switzerland.The Swiss Charts include:* Singles Top 75... |
||
| 1996 | "Shake Dat Azz" | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1996 | "So Strung Out" | 14 | 7 | 4 | - | 7 |
| 1997 | "Time Is Tickin' Away" | 16 | 12 | 5 | 40 | 9 |
| 1997 | "Summertime" | - | - | 19 | - | - |
| 1997 | "Eternal Grace" | - | - | 8 | - | 20 |
| 1998 | "Broken Wings" | - | - | 27 | - | 31 |
| 1999 | "Keep Movin'" | - | - | 66 | - | - |
| 2000 | "The Future Is So Bright" | - | - | - | - | - |
Albums
| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AUT Ö3 Austria Top 40 Ö3 Austria Top 40 is the name of the official Austrian singles chart, as well as the radio show which presents it, aired Fridays on Hitradio Ö3. The show presents the Austrian singles, ringtones and downloads chart. It premiered on 26 November 1968 as Disc Parade and was presented by Ernst Grissemann... |
FIN Mitä hittiä The Official Finnish Charts is a national record chart in Finland composed by Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland.The singles chart was started in January 1991 as Radiomafian lista and was broadcast on the radio station Radiomafia of the Finnish Broadcasting Company, YLE. This chart is based on a... |
GER | HU Hungary Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The... |
SWI Swiss Music Charts The Swiss Music Charts are Switzerland's main music sales charts. The charts are a record of the highest-selling singles and albums in various genres in Switzerland.The Swiss Charts include:* Singles Top 75... |
||
| 1997 | General Population General Population General Population is the debut album of German hip-hop group C-Block, released by Maad Records and WEA in 1997. Recording sessions for the album took place during 1995 and 1996 in Germany. The album was primarily produced by the group's creators, Frank Müller, Ulrich Buchmann and Jörg Wagner... |
41 | 17 | 14 | 6 | 10 |
| 1998 | Keepin' It Real | - | - | 45 | 17 | 34 |
| 2010 | Changes/The Last | - | - | - | - | - |
External links
- http://www.discogs.com/artist/C-BlockC-Block at DiscogsDiscogsDiscogs, short for discographies, is a website and database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. The Discogs servers, currently hosted under the domain name discogs.com, are owned by Zink Media, Inc., and are...
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