Ugly Duckling (hip hop group)
Encyclopedia
Ugly Duckling is an American
hip hop
group that formed around 1993 in Long Beach
, California
. Ugly Duckling's members include Dizzy Dustin (Dustin McFarland), Young Einstein (Rodney Pleasant Jr.) and Andy Cat (Andy Cooper). They took the name Ugly Duckling because they felt like outcasts on the Southern California hip hop scene of the mid-1990s. According to the book How to Rap
: the Art & Science of the Hip-Hop MC, they are "one of the most prominent underground hip hop
groups".
(whose alumni include rapper Warren G
and Gilligan's Island
actor Bob Denver
). Einstein grew up in the Wrigley area of Long Beach and attended Wilson High School
. Andy Cooper was raised in the Bixby Knolls neighborhood and attended Long Beach Polytechnic High School
, where he was on the varsity basketball squad. Notable Poly alumni include Snoop Dogg
and actor Carl Weathers
. The members of Ugly Duckling met through mutual friends and began listening to and eventually creating and performing music together.
. It is known for humorous and intelligent lyrics, "lampooning the excesses of modern hip hop" and modern hip hop's obsessions with sex and materialism
.
Their music makes use of the original elements of hip hop music: turntablism
and MCing. The group's DJ Young Einstein employs complex scratches both on the record and live, unlike many modern hip hop groups where the emphasis tends to be on the MC. He is also the owner of the group's unofficial mascot, the dookie gold rope, which is the subject of the song "Eye on the Gold Chain," and is worn by Einstein during most live performances of the track. The group is renowned for their live shows, performing various antics on stage and making every effort to involve the crowd in their shows. They have performed in numerous countries around the globe including Australia
, China
, Japan
, and Korea
, and most of Europe
including the United Kingdom
and Scandinavia
.
Ugly Duckling's music demonstrates the dichotomy of having grown up in an area known for gangsta rap
and inner-city themes while listening to a variety of music, much of which was anything but hardcore. The band's songs often incorporate themes such as love, forgiveness, and rejection of worldly values. Some songs include lyrics pertaining to the biblical end times. They also frequently make use of early hip hop hyperbole, where the primary goal of lyrics was to brag and self promote in an exaggerated and often humorous fashion.
groups to golden age hip hop
artists. Their influences include groups like Run-DMC, Beastie Boys
, Eric B. & Rakim
, EPMD
, and the Native Tongues
groups A Tribe Called Quest
, De La Soul
, and Jungle Brothers
. Other influences include Boogie Down Productions
, Brand Nubian
, Public Enemy, and countless other artists instrumental in the development of early hip hop. The Ugly Duckling song "Do You Know What I'm Sayin," off its 1999 release Fresh Mode
, is made up entirely of lines and phrases from classic hip hop songs strung together in homage to some of their favorite tracks and artists.
's Project 8 videogame and also on skater Paul Rodriguez Jr.
's Footage soundtrack. "Get on This" is featured in the movie Boiler Room
. "Turn It Up" is featured in the movie Eurotrip
, and "Something's Going Down Tonight" was featured in the kayaking film Means Of Production as well as the movie Drillbit Taylor
. Ugly Duckling provide the intro music for Australian radio duo Hamish and Andy.
The group's music featured extensively in the BBC sitcom Ideal
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
hip hop
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
group that formed around 1993 in Long Beach
Long Beach, California
Long Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. Ugly Duckling's members include Dizzy Dustin (Dustin McFarland), Young Einstein (Rodney Pleasant Jr.) and Andy Cat (Andy Cooper). They took the name Ugly Duckling because they felt like outcasts on the Southern California hip hop scene of the mid-1990s. According to the book How to Rap
How to Rap
How to Rap: The Art & Science of the Hip-Hop MC is a book on hip-hop music and rapping by Paul Edwards. It is compiled from interviews with 104 notable rappers who provide insights into how they write and perform their lyrics.- Publication :...
: the Art & Science of the Hip-Hop MC, they are "one of the most prominent underground hip hop
Underground hip hop
Underground hip hop is an umbrella term for hip hop music outside the general commercial canon. It is typically associated with independent artists, signed toindependent labels or no label at all....
groups".
Background
Each of the members of the group is from Long Beach, California. Dizzy was raised on the north side of Long Beach and attended Jordan High SchoolJordan High School (Long Beach, California)
David Starr Jordan High School is a public high school in Long Beach, California. It is part of the Long Beach Unified School District-Overview:...
(whose alumni include rapper Warren G
Warren G
Warren G , is an American West Coast rapper and hip hop producer. He is also Dr. Dre's half-brother.His biggest hit is the song "Regulate" with Nate Dogg released in 1994...
and Gilligan's Island
Gilligan's Island
Gilligan's Island is an American television series created and produced by Sherwood Schwartz and originally produced by United Artists Television. The situation comedy series featured Bob Denver; Alan Hale, Jr.; Jim Backus; Natalie Schafer; Tina Louise; Russell Johnson; and Dawn Wells. It aired for...
actor Bob Denver
Bob Denver
Robert Osbourne "Bob" Denver was an American comedic actor known for his roles as Gilligan on the television series Gilligan's Island and the beatnik Maynard G. Krebs on the 1959–1963 TV series The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis.-Early life:Denver was born in New Rochelle, New York, and raised in...
). Einstein grew up in the Wrigley area of Long Beach and attended Wilson High School
Wilson High School
Wilson High School may refer to:* Wilson High School * Wilson High School * Wilson High School * Wilson High School -See also:...
. Andy Cooper was raised in the Bixby Knolls neighborhood and attended Long Beach Polytechnic High School
Long Beach Polytechnic High School
Long Beach Polytechnic High School, founded in 1895 as Long Beach High School, is a High school located at 1600 Atlantic Avenue in Long Beach, California, United States....
, where he was on the varsity basketball squad. Notable Poly alumni include Snoop Dogg
Snoop Dogg
Calvin Cordozar Broadus, Jr. , better known by his stage name Snoop Dogg, is an American rapper, record producer, and actor. Snoop is best known as a rapper in the West Coast hip hop scene, and for being one of Dr. Dre's most notable protégés. Snoop Dogg was a Crip gang member while in high school...
and actor Carl Weathers
Carl Weathers
Carl Weathers is an American actor, as well as former professional football player in the United States and Canada. He is best known for playing Apollo Creed in the Rocky series of films...
. The members of Ugly Duckling met through mutual friends and began listening to and eventually creating and performing music together.
Musical style
The group's style is primarily a throwback to the kind of hip hop popular in the 1980s and ’90s. It uses samples and scratches as the foundation of most the group's tracks, whereas many modern artists have given up sampling in favor of self-made beats and song elements. The two MCs, Andy and Dizzy, frequently alternate lines and punctuate each others thoughts, reminiscent of early groups like the Beastie BoysBeastie Boys
Beastie Boys are an American hip hop trio from New York City. The group consists of Mike D who plays the drums, MCA who plays the bass, and Ad-Rock who plays the guitar....
. It is known for humorous and intelligent lyrics, "lampooning the excesses of modern hip hop" and modern hip hop's obsessions with sex and materialism
Economic materialism
Materialism is a mindset that views the consumption and acquisition of material goods as positive and desirable. It is often bound up with a value system which regards social status as being intrinsically linked to affluence as well as the perception that happiness can be increased through...
.
Their music makes use of the original elements of hip hop music: turntablism
Turntablism
Turntablism is the art of manipulating sounds and creating music using phonograph turntables and a DJ mixer.The word 'turntablist' was coined in 1995 by DJ Babu to describe the difference between a DJ who just plays records, and one who performs by touching and moving the records, stylus and mixer...
and MCing. The group's DJ Young Einstein employs complex scratches both on the record and live, unlike many modern hip hop groups where the emphasis tends to be on the MC. He is also the owner of the group's unofficial mascot, the dookie gold rope, which is the subject of the song "Eye on the Gold Chain," and is worn by Einstein during most live performances of the track. The group is renowned for their live shows, performing various antics on stage and making every effort to involve the crowd in their shows. They have performed in numerous countries around the globe including Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, and Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
, and most of Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
including the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
.
Ugly Duckling's music demonstrates the dichotomy of having grown up in an area known for gangsta rap
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...
and inner-city themes while listening to a variety of music, much of which was anything but hardcore. The band's songs often incorporate themes such as love, forgiveness, and rejection of worldly values. Some songs include lyrics pertaining to the biblical end times. They also frequently make use of early hip hop hyperbole, where the primary goal of lyrics was to brag and self promote in an exaggerated and often humorous fashion.
Influences
Ugly Duckling is influenced by a variety of artists including everything from old school hip hopOld school hip hop
Old school hip hop describes the earliest commercially recorded hip hop music , and the music in the period preceding it from which it was directly descended . Old school hip hop is said to end around 1983 or 1984 with the emergence of Run–D.M.C., the first new school hip hop group...
groups to golden age hip hop
Golden age hip hop
Hip hop's "golden age" is a name given to a period in mainstream hip hop—usually cited as being a period varying in time frames during the 1980s and 1990s said to be characterized by its diversity, quality, innovation and influence. There were strong themes of Afrocentricity and political...
artists. Their influences include groups like Run-DMC, Beastie Boys
Beastie Boys
Beastie Boys are an American hip hop trio from New York City. The group consists of Mike D who plays the drums, MCA who plays the bass, and Ad-Rock who plays the guitar....
, Eric B. & Rakim
Eric B. & Rakim
Eric B. & Rakim were a hip-hop duo composed of DJ Eric Barrier and MC Rakim .Hailing from Long Island, New York, the pair are generally considered by hip hop enthusiasts to be one of the most influential and innovative groups in the genre...
, EPMD
EPMD
EPMD is an American hip hop group from Brentwood, New York. The group's name is a concatenation of the members' name "E" and "PMD" or an acronym for "Erick and Parrish Making Dollars", referencing its members, emcees Erick Sermon and Parrish Smith...
, and the Native Tongues
Native tongues
Native Tongues is a book by the linguist Charles Berlitz.It is a list of words in different languages, etymology and questions with speculations far and wide about words....
groups A Tribe Called Quest
A Tribe Called Quest
A Tribe Called Quest is an American hip hop group, formed in 1985, and is composed of rapper/producer Q-Tip , rapper Phife Dawg , and DJ/producer Ali Shaheed Muhammad. A fourth member, rapper Jarobi White, left the group after their first album but rejoined in 2006...
, De La Soul
De La Soul
De La Soul is an American hip hop trio formed in 1987 on Long Island, New York. The band is best known for their eclectic sampling, quirky lyrics, and their contributions to the evolution of the jazz rap and alternative hip hop subgenres...
, and Jungle Brothers
Jungle Brothers
The Jungle Brothers are an American hip hop group that pioneered the fusion of jazz and hip-hop and also became the first hip-hop group to use a house-music producer. The group began performing in the mid-1980s and released its first album, Straight Out the Jungle, in July 1988...
. Other influences include Boogie Down Productions
Boogie Down Productions
Boogie Down Productions was a hip hop group that was originally composed of KRS-One, D-Nice, and DJ Scott La Rock. DJ Scott La Rock was murdered on August 27, 1987, months after the release of BDP's debut album, Criminal Minded. The name of the group, Boogie Down, derives from a nickname for the...
, Brand Nubian
Brand Nubian
Brand Nubian is an American hip hop group from New Rochelle, New York, consisting of three MC's: Grand Puba , Sadat X and Lord Jamar , and two DJs: DJ Alamo and DJ Sincere...
, Public Enemy, and countless other artists instrumental in the development of early hip hop. The Ugly Duckling song "Do You Know What I'm Sayin," off its 1999 release Fresh Mode
Fresh Mode
Fresh Mode is the first release by Long Beach hip hop group Ugly Duckling.- Track listing :#"Fresh Mode" - 3:47#"Now Who's Laughin'" - 2:59#"Get On This" - 3:59#"Einstein's Takin' Off" - 3:19#"Everybody C'mon" - 3:20...
, is made up entirely of lines and phrases from classic hip hop songs strung together in homage to some of their favorite tracks and artists.
Appearances in media
Their song "Smack" is featured on Tony HawkTony Hawk
Anthony Frank "Tony" Hawk , nicknamed "The Birdman" is an American retired professional skateboarder and actor. Hawk gained significant fame for completing the first 900 as well as his licensed video game titles distributed by Activision...
's Project 8 videogame and also on skater Paul Rodriguez Jr.
Paul Rodriguez Jr.
Paul Rodriguez III , also known by his nickname P-Rod, is a Mexican-American professional street skateboarder and actor.-Early life:...
's Footage soundtrack. "Get on This" is featured in the movie Boiler Room
Boiler room
* A boiler room is a room where a boiler is kept, it may also refer to:* Boiler room , building's mechanical room* Boiler room , ship's engine room...
. "Turn It Up" is featured in the movie Eurotrip
EuroTrip
EuroTrip is a 2004 teen comedy film directed by Jeff Schaffer and written by Alec Berg, David Mandel and Schaffer. The main plot follows Scotty "Scott" Thomas from Hudson, Ohio who travels across Europe to search for his German pen pal Mieke , whom he initially mistakes for a man named Mike...
, and "Something's Going Down Tonight" was featured in the kayaking film Means Of Production as well as the movie Drillbit Taylor
Drillbit Taylor
Drillbit Taylor is a 2008 comedy film starring Owen Wilson as the eponymous character and based on an original idea by John Hughes. It was directed by Steven Brill and the screenplay was written by Kristofor Brown and Seth Rogen. Paramount Pictures released the film on March 21, 2008.Drillbit...
. Ugly Duckling provide the intro music for Australian radio duo Hamish and Andy.
The group's music featured extensively in the BBC sitcom Ideal
Ideal (TV series)
Ideal is a British comedy-drama, or dark comedy originally broadcast on digital channel BBC Three, created by Graham Duff and produced by BBC Comedy North and Baby Cow Productions. It stars Johnny Vegas as small-time cannabis dealer Moz....
.
Albums
- Journey to AnywhereJourney to AnywhereJourney to Anywhere is the first full-length studio recording by Long Beach, California, hip hop group Ugly Duckling.- Track listing :#"Introduckling" - 3:30#"I Did it Like This" - 3:12#"Journey to Anywhere" - 4:31#"Friday Night" - 3:19...
(1500/A&M/Interscope/Universal Records, 2001) - Taste the SecretTaste the SecretTaste the Secret is the second studio album by the South Californian hip hop trio Ugly Duckling, released on June 16, 2003, by Emperor Norton Records. For the album, Ugly Duckling developed a fictitious fast food chain called "Meatshake" that served only meat-based food served in shake form...
(Emperor Norton/Rykodisc Records, 2003) - Combo Meal: Taste The Secret/The Leftovers EP (Emperor Norton/Rykodisc, 2004)
- Bang for the BuckBang for the BuckBang for the Buck is the third studio album by Long Beach hip hop group Ugly Duckling. The track "Smack" was featured in Tony Hawk's Project 8.-Track listing:#"Bang for the Buck" - 3:08#"Yudee!" - 3:56#"Prom Queen"#"The Breakdown" - 3:28...
(Fat Beats, 11 April 2006) - The Best Of (Handcuts, 2006)
- AudacityAudacity (album)Audacity is Ugly Duckling's fourth studio album, which was released on January 12, 2009. It has a generally more melancholy feel than their previous, mostly up-beat work.-Track listing:#"I Won't Let It Die" - 4:15#"The Takedown" - 3:52...
(Fat Beats Records, 2009) - Moving at Breakneck Speed (Special Records, 2011)
EPs
- Fresh ModeFresh ModeFresh Mode is the first release by Long Beach hip hop group Ugly Duckling.- Track listing :#"Fresh Mode" - 3:47#"Now Who's Laughin'" - 2:59#"Get On This" - 3:59#"Einstein's Takin' Off" - 3:19#"Everybody C'mon" - 3:20...
(originally released on Bad Magic Records, 20 April 1999, Cat. No: MAGICCD1. Re-released on 1500/A&M/Interscope/Universal Records) - The Leftovers EPThe Leftovers EPThe Leftovers EP is the hip hop group Ugly Duckling's second EP. Released shortly after its sophomore effort, Taste The Secret, this EP completes the story followed throughout the previous album...
(Earshot, 2003)
Singles
- "Everybody, C'mon" (1500/A&M/Interscope/Universal Records, 1999)
- "Now Who's Laughin'" (1500/A&M/Interscope/Universal Records, 1999)
- "I Did it Like This" (XL RecordingsXL RecordingsXL Recordings is a British independent record label owned by Richard Russell. It originated as a 1989 offshoot of Beggars Banquet Records.Though only releasing an average of six albums a year, XL Recordings has worked with The Prodigy, Radiohead, The White Stripes, Dizzee Rascal, M.I.A., Vampire...
& Emperor Norton/Rykodisc, 2000) - "A Little Samba" (XL Recordings and Emperor Norton/Rykodisc, 2001)
- "A Little Samba" (remixes) (XL Recordings and Emperor Norton/Rykodisc, 2001)
- "Eye on the Gold Chain" (XL Recordings and Emperor Norton/Rykodisc, 2001)
- "Eye on the Gold Chain" (remixes) (XL Recordings, 2001)
- "Dumb it Down" (Emperor Norton/Rykodisc Records, 2003)
- "Pass it On" (Emperor Norton/Rykodisc Records, 2003)
- "Rio de Janeiro" (Emperor Norton/Rykodisc Records, 2003)
- "Turn it Up" (Emperor Norton/Rykodisc Records, 2003)
- "Get Ready" (2004)
- "Yudee!" (Fat Beats, 2005)
- "Smack" (Fat Beats, 2006)
- "Left Behind" (Fat Beats, 2006)
- "Left Behind" (Wichita Mix) (Fat Beats, 2006)
External links
- Official website
- Ugly Duckling at MySpaceMySpaceMyspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
- Discography at Discogs.com