Song#: 3095
Date: 04/18/1987
Debut: 94
Peak: 89
Weeks: 5
Genre: Rap
Pop Bits: Kool Moe Dee (given name Mohandas Dewese) was a member of the pioneering rap group The Treacherous Three. After they broke up in 1985, he headed out on a solo career. He signed up with Jive Records and began work on a self-titled debut album. This first single was released and surprisingly it was unable to chart at R&B. Yet it somehow got some attention at Pop and ended up floating around the bottom of the chart for a few weeks. While no other singles from the album would chart, it would end up selling well enough to reach #20 at R&B and #83 Pop.
ReduxReview: This was when rap was fun. Not that there aren't some quirky, enjoyable rap tracks now, but they just aren't as sly and funky as this. Along with being hilarious, the tune is nearly a PSA about safe sex. It's funny that back in the day they had to offer a clean version of this song. These days it doesn't even warrant an explicit tag on streaming services. Funny how times change. Maybe I'm just an ol' fuddy duddy, but I prefer clever lyrics like the ones on this song as opposed to the profanity laced, sexually explicit rap tracks of today. Ol' skool rap like this is just far more entertaining and fun.
ReduxRating: 8/10
Trivia: The Treacherous Three were really a foursome featuring Kool Moe Dee, L.A. Sunshine, and Special K, along with DJ Easy Lee. They formed in the late 70s and got signed to the small NYC label Enjoy. They issued out several singles including "Body Rock," which has been cited as one of the first rap songs to incorporate rock-edged guitars. The singles helped them get signed to Sugar Hill Records. More singles for that label would follow and eventually they would released a self-titled debut album in 1984. While popular, the album didn't chart. Soon after, internal issues arose and the following year they split. Their career may have been short-lived, but their influence continued on for years. One of their main contributions to rap was that they were the first to introduce a style called fast rapping. Their 1980 single "The New Rap Language" featured the group rapping at a high rate of speed. Other rappers took note and the style would evolve into double-time rapping and chopper style.
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