Spoonie Gee
Encyclopedia
Spoonie Gee is one of the earliest rap artists, and one of few rap artists to release records in the 1970s. He has been credited with originating the term 'hip hop' and some the themes in his music were precursors of Gangsta rap
.
, New York City
, receiving his 'Spoonie' nickname as a child as the spoon was the only utensil that he used to eat with. His mother died when he was twelve years old, and he went to live with his uncle, the record producer Bobby Robinson
, in whose apartment he began to practice rapping.
His first recording came about after Peter Brown visited Robinson's record store and mentioned that he was looking to make a rap record. Spoonie's name was suggested, and he recorded "Spoonin' Rap", which was released on Brown's Sound Of New York, USA imprint, featuring a lyric that included jailhouse references that would later become common in Gangsta rap, and with echo applied to vocals in a similar way to many Jamaica
n deejay
records. Spoonie Gee has been described as "the original gangster rapper".
He then recorded for Robinson's Enjoy! Records
, his first release for the label being the similarly minimalistic "Love Rap" (on which he was accompanied on Conga
s by his brother Pooche Costello), issued on the B-side of the Treacherous Three
's "New Rap Language" (on which he also featured), leading to his early nickname of 'The Love Rapper'. Jackson was a founding member of the Treacherous Three
, along with L.A. Sunshine and Kool Moe Dee
. The group added Special K
as a member when Jackson left to record his first single. The group was named Spoonie Gee and the Treacherous Three when Jackson returned for a period before going solo.
He left Enjoy! and moved to Sugarhill Records, where he enjoyed further hits with "Spoonie's Back" and the collaboration with The Sequence
on "Monster Jam". He moved on again to Aaron Fuchs' Tuff City
label, on which the majority of his later output was issued, including "That's My Style", on which he attacked Schoolly D
for copying his style. By the mid-1980s, he was also working in a rehabilitation centre for people with learning disabilities. His career took off once again in 1987 with his debut album, The Godfather of Rap, produced by Marley Marl
and Teddy Riley, and issued on the Tuff City label. His career has since been hampered by several spells in prison.
In the mid-1990s a compilation of his work, Godfather of Hip Hop, was issued on the Ol' Skool Flava label, In the mid-2000s he returned with a new EP
, The Boss is Back.
In 2008, "Love Rap" was ranked number 65 on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of Hip Hop
Spoonie Gee has been credited with inventing the term 'Hip hop', as well as originating phrases such as "yes, yes y'all" that have become rap staples.
Gangsta rap
Gangsta Rap is a subgenre of hip hop music that evolved from hardcore hip hop and purports to reflect urban crime and the violent lifestyles of inner-city youths. Lyrics in gangsta rap have varied from accurate reflections to fictionalized accounts. Gangsta is a non-rhotic pronunciation of the word...
.
Career
Jackson was born in HarlemHarlem
Harlem is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan, which since the 1920s has been a major African-American residential, cultural and business center. Originally a Dutch village, formally organized in 1658, it is named after the city of Haarlem in the Netherlands...
, New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, receiving his 'Spoonie' nickname as a child as the spoon was the only utensil that he used to eat with. His mother died when he was twelve years old, and he went to live with his uncle, the record producer Bobby Robinson
Bobby Robinson (record producer)
Bobby Robinson was an African-American independent record producer and songwriter in New York, most active from the 1950s through the mid 1980s. He produced hits by Wilbert Harrison, The Shirelles, Dave "Baby" Cortez, Elmore James, Lee Dorsey, Gladys Knight & The Pips, King Curtis, Spoonie Gee,...
, in whose apartment he began to practice rapping.
His first recording came about after Peter Brown visited Robinson's record store and mentioned that he was looking to make a rap record. Spoonie's name was suggested, and he recorded "Spoonin' Rap", which was released on Brown's Sound Of New York, USA imprint, featuring a lyric that included jailhouse references that would later become common in Gangsta rap, and with echo applied to vocals in a similar way to many Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
n deejay
Deejay
A deejay is a reggae or dancehall musician who sings and toasts to an instrumental riddim .Deejays are not to be confused with disc jockeys from other music genres like hip-hop, where they select and play music. Dancehall/reggae DJs who select riddims to play are called selectors...
records. Spoonie Gee has been described as "the original gangster rapper".
He then recorded for Robinson's Enjoy! Records
Enjoy Records
Enjoy Records was a record label owned and operated by Bobby Robinson from 1962 through the mid-1980s, and was run out of his record shop at 125th Street and 8th Ave. in Harlem...
, his first release for the label being the similarly minimalistic "Love Rap" (on which he was accompanied on Conga
Conga
The conga, or more properly the tumbadora, is a tall, narrow, single-headed Cuban drum with African antecedents. It is thought to be derived from the Makuta drums or similar drums associated with Afro-Cubans of Central African descent. A person who plays conga is called a conguero...
s by his brother Pooche Costello), issued on the B-side of the Treacherous Three
Treacherous Three
The Treacherous Three was a pioneering 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...
's "New Rap Language" (on which he also featured), leading to his early nickname of 'The Love Rapper'. Jackson was a founding member of the Treacherous Three
Treacherous Three
The Treacherous Three was a pioneering 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...
, along with L.A. Sunshine and Kool Moe Dee
Kool Moe Dee
Mohandas Dewese , better known as Kool Moe Dee, is an American Hip Hop MC prominent in the late 1970s through the early 1990s. He was born in Manhattan, New York...
. The group added Special K
Special K (artist)
Kevin Keaton, a.k.a. Special K was an American old-school MC prominent in the late 1970s, throughout the 1980's and early '90s.- Early career :...
as a member when Jackson left to record his first single. The group was named Spoonie Gee and the Treacherous Three when Jackson returned for a period before going solo.
He left Enjoy! and moved to Sugarhill Records, where he enjoyed further hits with "Spoonie's Back" and the collaboration with The Sequence
The Sequence
The Sequence is a former female old school hip hop trio signed to the Sugar Hill label in the early-1980s. The group consisted of Cheryl Cook , Gwendolyn Chisolm , and lead singer/rapper Angie Brown Stone...
on "Monster Jam". He moved on again to Aaron Fuchs' Tuff City
Tuff City Records
Tuff City Records is a New York-based record label founded by journalist Aaron Fuchs in 1981. Initially concentrating on hip hop music, the label's roster expanded to include doo-wop, dancehall, and hip hop-jazz fusion, and releases included reissues of music from as far back as the 1940s.Fuchs was...
label, on which the majority of his later output was issued, including "That's My Style", on which he attacked Schoolly D
Schoolly D
Jesse B. Weaver Jr. , better known by the stage name Schoolly D, is an American rapper from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.- Career :...
for copying his style. By the mid-1980s, he was also working in a rehabilitation centre for people with learning disabilities. His career took off once again in 1987 with his debut album, The Godfather of Rap, produced by Marley Marl
Marley Marl
Marlon Williams , better known as Marley Marl, is an American DJ and record producer, who is considered one of the most important and influential hip-hop producers in the history of hip hop.-Biography:...
and Teddy Riley, and issued on the Tuff City label. His career has since been hampered by several spells in prison.
In the mid-1990s a compilation of his work, Godfather of Hip Hop, was issued on the Ol' Skool Flava label, In the mid-2000s he returned with a new EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
, The Boss is Back.
In 2008, "Love Rap" was ranked number 65 on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of Hip Hop
Spoonie Gee has been credited with inventing the term 'Hip hop', as well as originating phrases such as "yes, yes y'all" that have become rap staples.
Albums
- The Godfather of Rap (1987), Tuff CityTuff City RecordsTuff City Records is a New York-based record label founded by journalist Aaron Fuchs in 1981. Initially concentrating on hip hop music, the label's roster expanded to include doo-wop, dancehall, and hip hop-jazz fusion, and releases included reissues of music from as far back as the 1940s.Fuchs was...
- Old And New Jams (1989), BCM (compilation)
- Old and New Jams/The Godfather (1993), BCM (compilation)
- Godfather of Hip Hop (1996), Ol' Skool Flava (compilation)
Singles
- "Spoonin' Rap" (1979), Sound of New York
- "Love Rap" (1979), Enjoy!Enjoy RecordsEnjoy Records was a record label owned and operated by Bobby Robinson from 1962 through the mid-1980s, and was run out of his record shop at 125th Street and 8th Ave. in Harlem...
- B-side of Treacherous ThreeTreacherous ThreeThe Treacherous Three was a pioneering 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...
's "New Rap Language" - "Monster Jam" (1980), Sugarhill - Spoonie Gee Meets The SequenceThe SequenceThe Sequence is a former female old school hip hop trio signed to the Sugar Hill label in the early-1980s. The group consisted of Cheryl Cook , Gwendolyn Chisolm , and lead singer/rapper Angie Brown Stone...
- "Spoonie Is Back" (1981), Sugarhill
- "Re-Mix of Spoonie Rap" (1982), Heavenly Star
- "The Big Beat" (1983), Tuff City/EpicEpic RecordsEpic Records is an American record label, owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Though it was originally conceived as a jazz imprint, it has since expanded to represent various genres. L.A...
- "Get Off My Tip" (1985), Tuff City
- "New Love Rap" (1985), Enjoy!
- "Street Girl" (1985), Tuff City
- "That's My Style"/"I'll Serve You Right" b/wA-side and B-sideA-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...
"Take It Off " (1986), Tuff City - "I'm All Shook Up" (1987), Tuff City
- "The Godfather" (1987), Tuff City
- "(You Ain't Just A Fool) You's An Old Fool" (1988), Tuff City
- "Mighty Mike Tyson" (1988), Tuff City
- "Spoonin' Rap" (1999), Ol' Skool Flava
- "Bodyrock" Moby ft Spoonie G (2000) (Promo)
- The Boss Is Back EP (2005), New Sound of Harlem
External links
- Discography 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...