Cameo (band)
Encyclopedia
Cameo is an American soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...

-influenced funk
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...

 group that formed in the early 1970s. Cameo was initially a 13-member group known as the New York City Players; this name was later changed to Cameo to avoid a lawsuit from Ohio Players
Ohio Players
The Ohio Players were an American funk and R&B band, most popular in the 1970s. They are best known for their double #1 hit songs "Fire" and "Love Rollercoaster".- Biography :...

, another group from that era. Since then, Cameo has recorded several hits records. As of 2009, some of the original members continue to perform together, while two others were hired by the 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 Outkast
OutKast
Outkast is an American hip hop duo based in East Point, Georgia, consisting of Atlanta native André "André 3000" Benjamin and Savannah, Georgia-born Antwan "Big Boi" Patton. They were originally known as Two Shades Deep but later changed the group's name to OutKast...

.
Influences include the humour of Parliament-Funkadelic
Parliament-Funkadelic
Parliament-Funkadelic is a funk, soul and rock music collective headed by George Clinton. Their style has been dubbed P-Funk. Collectively the group has existed under various names since the 1960s and has been known for top-notch musicianship, politically charged lyrics, outlandish concept albums...

, contemporary funk bands like the Bar-Kays, Earth, Wind and Fire, Ohio Players
Ohio Players
The Ohio Players were an American funk and R&B band, most popular in the 1970s. They are best known for their double #1 hit songs "Fire" and "Love Rollercoaster".- Biography :...

, The Isley Brothers
The Isley Brothers
The Isley Brothers are a highly influential, successful and long-running American music group consisting of different line-ups of six brothers, and a brother-in-law, Chris Jasper...

 etc. and singers like Marvin Gaye
Marvin Gaye
Marvin Pentz Gay, Jr. , better known by his stage name Marvin Gaye, was an American singer-songwriter and musician with a three-octave vocal range....

, Billy Paul
Billy Paul
Billy Paul is a Grammy Award winning American soul singer, most known for his 1972 number-one single, "Me and Mrs. Jones" as well as the 1973 album and single "War of the Gods" which blends his more conventional pop, soul and funk styles with electronic and psychedelic influences...

, Prince
Prince (musician)
Prince Rogers Nelson , often known simply as Prince, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Prince has produced ten platinum albums and thirty Top 40 singles during his career. Prince founded his own recording studio and label; writing, self-producing and playing most, or all, of...

, Isaac Hayes
Isaac Hayes
Isaac Lee Hayes, Jr. was an American songwriter, musician, singer and actor. Hayes was one of the creative influences behind the southern soul music label Stax Records, where he served both as an in-house songwriter and as a record producer, teaming with his partner David Porter during the...

, Stevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder
Stevland Hardaway Morris , better known by his stage name Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and activist...

 and Bootsy Collins
Bootsy Collins
William Earl "Bootsy" Collins is an American funk bassist, singer, and songwriter.Rising to prominence with James Brown in the late 1960s, and with Parliament-Funkadelic in the '70s, Collins's driving bass guitar and humorous vocals established him as one of the leading names in funk...

.

History

In 1974, Cameo started out with 23 members created by Juilliard graduate and New York
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...

-area clubgoer Larry Blackmon
Larry Blackmon
Larry Ernest Blackmon is the lead singer and frontman for the funk and R&B band, Cameo. He came to Cameo from the band, Black Ivory....

 called the New York City Players. Signed by Casablanca Records
Casablanca Records
Casablanca Records was an American record label started by Neil Bogart, who partnered with Cecil Holmes, Larry Harris, and Buck Reingold in 1973, and based in Los Angeles. The label was formed after all of them had left Buddah Records and secured financing by Warner Bros. Records to start the venture...

 to their Chocolate City
Chocolate City Records
Chocolate City Records was a record label subsidiary of Casablanca Records & Filmworks. It was started in 1975 by Cecil Holmes, Neil Bogart's partner at Casablanca...

 imprint in 1976, the group soon changed its name to Cameo after concerns that "New York City Players" might cause confusion between them and the funk band Ohio Players
Ohio Players
The Ohio Players were an American funk and R&B band, most popular in the 1970s. They are best known for their double #1 hit songs "Fire" and "Love Rollercoaster".- Biography :...

. Prior to this, Blackmon, keyboardist Gregory Johnson, and the late Gwen Guthrie
Gwen Guthrie
Gwen Guthrie was an American singer-songwriter, who also sang backing vocals for Aretha Franklin, Billy Joel, Stevie Wonder, and Madonna, among others, and who wrote songs made famous by Ben E. King, and Roberta Flack....

 formed the band East Coast, together with James Wheeler (alto saxophone), Melvin Whay (bass), Michael Harris (percussion), and Haras Fyre
Haras Fyre
In 1971, Haras joined a local band called the Matchmakers, where he met vocalist and pianist Gwen Guthrie. The two became romantically involved, moved in together and, with The Matchmakers' saxophonist James Wheeler & trumpeter Jerome McCoggle, they joined the New York City based band "East...

 (also known as Pat Grant
Haras Fyre
In 1971, Haras joined a local band called the Matchmakers, where he met vocalist and pianist Gwen Guthrie. The two became romantically involved, moved in together and, with The Matchmakers' saxophonist James Wheeler & trumpeter Jerome McCoggle, they joined the New York City based band "East...

) on trombone. They released one self-titled album in 1973 on the independent label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...

 Encounter.

Cameo started with a deep, funk
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...

y sound, but it was obvious from the start their sights were set on the dance floor. Their first albums Cardiac Arrest
Cardiac Arrest (album)
-Reception:The album performed reasonably well, reaching #16 on the R&B charts and contained the hit single "Rigor Mortis".-Track listing:All tracks composed by Larry Blackmon; except where indicated# "Still Feels Good" – 4:17...

, Ugly Ego
Ugly Ego
Ugly Ego is the third album by the Funk/Soul band Cameo, released in 1978.-Track listing:All tracks composed by Larry Blackmon; except where indicated# "I'll Be With You" – 4:23# "Insane" – 5:01...

, We All Know Who We Are
We All Know Who We Are
We All Know Who We Are is the second album by the funk/R&B band Cameo, released early in 1978.-Track listing:All tracks composed by Larry Blackmon; except where indicated# "Inflation" – 4:40# "C On the Funk" – 4:25# "Why Have I Lost You" – 5:17...

, and Secret Omen
Secret Omen
Secret Omen is the fourth album by the funk/R&B band Cameo, released in 1979.-Track listing:# "Energy" – 4:24 c. L.Blackmon# "I Just Want to Be" – 5:19 c. L.Blackmon/G.Johnson# "Find My Way" – 9:05 c. J.Melfi...

contained dance floor songs such as "Rigor Mortis", "I Just Want To Be" and "Find My Way," the latter of which was a major disco
Disco
Disco is a genre of dance music. Disco acts charted high during the mid-1970s, and the genre's popularity peaked during the late 1970s. It had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, gay, psychedelic, and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and...

 smash and was included on the soundtrack to Thank God It's Friday
Thank God It's Friday
The triple album was, unlike the movie, a commercial success. It contained contributions from some of the biggest names in disco at the time, including Donna Summer, Diana Ross, Thelma Houston, The Commodores, and many others....

.

Music career

By the time Cameosis
Cameosis
Cameosis is the fifth album by the Funk/Soul band Cameo, released on April 24, 1980.-Reception:Charted number one on the R&B album charts and number twenty five on the Billboard 200 album charts...

came out in 1980, Cameo had gained considerable momentum through singles such as "Shake Your Pants
Shake Your Pants
"Shake Your Pants" is a funk song by the band Cameo from the 1980 album, Cameosis. It was also released as a single and has since been re-released on many of the band's greatest hits albums, including one named after the song....

". Albums such as 1981's Knights of the Sound Table
Knights of the Sound Table
Knights of the Sound Table is the seventh album by the funk/R&B band Cameo, released in 1981.-Track listing:#Knights by Nights – 3:31#Freaky Dancin' – 5:23...

and 1982's Alligator Woman
Alligator Woman
Alligator Woman is the eighth album by the funk/R&B band Cameo, released in 1982. It contains the funk classic, "Flirt".The cover artwork model is the Prince protege Denise Matthews, aka Vanity.-Track listing:...

saw the band playing up their eclectic style.

However, by the mid-1980s, Blackmon and crew were ready to move on. With Alligator Woman in 1982, Cameo stripped down to "five main members", still keeping a full band for shows. Then Gregory Johnson quit, making it a quartet: Blackmon, Tomi Jenkins, Nathan Leftenant, and Charles Singleton; keyboardist Kevin Kendricks would later be brought more into the creative fold. Blackmon also moved from New York City to Atlanta, Georgia and started his own label Atlanta Artists
Atlanta Artists
Atlanta Artists was a sub-label of Polygram Records founded by Larry Blackmon of the group Cameo.-Origins:After Cameo's 7th album, Knights of the Sound Table , Blackmon reduced the group from 10 members to a 5-member unit....

, which was distributed by Polygram. Inspired by the edgy synthesizer arrangements being pushed forward by the new wave
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...

 groups of the time, he moved the band in an electronic funk" direction. It utilized heavily sequenced drum machines (e.g. Simmons
Simmons (electronic drum company)
Simmons was a pioneering British manufacturer of electronic drums that supplied electronic kits from 1980 to 1994. The drums' distinctive, electronic sound can be found on countless albums from the 1980s....

), bass and occasional horn arrangements. He put his trademark "Ooow!" into the forefront of Cameo's mixes and markedly changed their sound. Cameo's 1983 release Style
Style (Cameo album)
Style is the ninth album by the funk/R&B band Cameo, released in 1983. It was their first album to introduce their "Atlanta Artists" label, with which they maintained their distribution through Polygram Records...

was one of the first to come from this new label and was the first disc to capitalize on Cameo's new sound. She's Strange
She's Strange
She's Strange is the tenth album by the funk/R&B band Cameo, released in 1984.This album is dedicated to the late Polygram A&R-representative , Bill Haywood.As Cameo mentions in the liner-notes of the album , "The album which he always wanted"...

came out in 1984 and its "12-inch mix" was a major smash in the R&B clubs. The title track and its follow-up, "Talkin' Out the Side of Your Neck", were minor successes on the pop charts. 1985's Single Life
Single Life
Single Life is a 1985 album by funk/R&B group Cameo. The album reached No. 62 on the Billboard charts and the title track also reached No. 15 in the UK charts.-Track listing:# "Attack Me With Your Love" – 4:30 - L.Blackmon/K.Kendrick...

was also an R&B hit that saw some crossover success. With this album, Singleton left the group, but continued to work with Cameo from time to time as a friend of the band.

The song "Word Up!
Word Up! (song)
"Word Up!" is a funk/hip hop song written and originally recorded by Cameo in 1986. Due to its heavy play on American dance and R&B radio, as well as music video play on MTV , the single became the band's most well-known hit.From the album of the same name, "Word Up!" was Nick's first US Top 40...

" hit the radio airwaves in mid-1986. Critically acclaimed with large amounts of club and radio airtime, the resulting album Word Up!
Word Up!
Word Up! is an album by funk/R&B group Cameo released in 1986. The record made Cameo one of the most successful bands of that decade.-Track listing:*Tracks 1, 2, 3, 6 & 7 Published By All Seeing Eye Music-Better Days Music...

turned Cameo into superstars. The follow-up tracks, "Candy
Candy (Cameo song)
"Candy" is a song by funk group Cameo, released as the second single from their 1986 album Word Up!. It reached number twenty-one on the Hot 100 and number one on the R&B charts in 1987...

" and "Back and Forth", were also huge hits for the funk trio.

Two years later, Cameo would release Machismo
Machismo (album)
Machismo is funk/R&B group Cameo's 1988 follow up to their successful album Word Up!. It featured the hits "You Make Me Work" and "Skin I'm In," which both have been issued on various compilation albums...

to lukewarm pop response, but favorable critical reviews and R&B success. Kendricks left the band at this point. Next, 1990's Real Men... Wear Black
Real Men... Wear Black
Real Men... Wear Black is a 1990 album by funk/R&B group Cameo.-Track listing:# "Close Quarters"# "I Want It Now"# "Me"# "Attitude"# "Get Paid"# "Am I Bad Enough"# "Time, Fire and Space"# "Nan-Yea"# "Just a Broken Heart"...

and 1992's Emotional Violence
Emotional Violence
Emotional Violence is a 1991 album by funk/R&B group Cameo. The uneven album failed to make an impact in the charts, prompting the band to take a hiatus from recording new material until 1994's In the Face of Funk...

failed to reach the same commercial success of Word Up!. By this time, after their departure from Polygram on to their new label, Reprise
Reprise Records
Reprise Records is an American record label, founded in 1960 by Frank Sinatra. It is owned by Warner Music Group, and operated through Warner Bros. Records.-Beginnings:...

, Blackmon represented himself (besides his band-activities and side-productions) as A&R
A&R
Artists and repertoire is the division of a record label that is responsible for talent scouting and overseeing the artistic development of recording artists. It also acts as a liaison between artists and the record label.- Finding talent :...

-agent for this label, a division of Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...

. It also saw the absence of Nathan Leftenant, but the return of guitarist Charlie Singleton as one of "main" members. Leftenant returned again for the next album, which they released on a new label (Way 2 Funky/Raging Bull), and recorded at their next headed location, Miami, Florida. 1994 saw the release of In the Face of Funk
In the Face of Funk
In the Face of Funk is 1994 album by funk/R&B group Cameo. This was their first album of newly written material since 1991's Emotional Violence. The album reached #10 on the R&B charts and is now out-of-print...

that got some club play, a single release, and at least one track that received critical acclaim (for "You Are My Love"). But for the most part, Cameo's reign was over.

Presently

Former Cameo members Aaron Mills (bass), Jeryl Bright (Trombone) and Kevin Kendrick have been hired by the hip hop group OutKast
OutKast
Outkast is an American hip hop duo based in East Point, Georgia, consisting of Atlanta native André "André 3000" Benjamin and Savannah, Georgia-born Antwan "Big Boi" Patton. They were originally known as Two Shades Deep but later changed the group's name to OutKast...

 for live and studio sessions. Mills's story is that he had just arrived back home in the middle of the night from touring or recording when he got a call from either Andre 3000
André 3000
André Lauren Benjamin , better known by his stage name André 3000 is an American rapper, singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and actor, best known for being part of American hip-hop duo OutKast alongside fellow rapper Big Boi...

 or Big Boi
Big Boi
Antwan André Patton , better known by his stage name Big Boi, is an American rapper, song-writer, record producer and actor, best known for being a member of American hip hop duo OutKast alongside André 3000. His work in the duo has produced six studio albums. During the duo's hiatus, he and André...

, and was asked if he had time to record a bassline for them, which was for "Ms. Jackson
Ms. Jackson
"Ms. Jackson" is a song by OutKast and the second single from their fourth album Stankonia. It topped the U.S. charts for the week of February 17, 2001, and won a 2002 Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group. It also reached number one in Germany and number two in the United...

", OutKast's successful hit. Ex-Cameo vocalist John Kellogg became an entertainment lawyer representing such hit artists as the O'Jays, the late Gerald Levert and LSG. He also pursued a career in music industry higher education, becoming Assistant Chair of the Music Business/Management department at the world's leading institution of contemporary music, Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA.

In 2000, Cameo released their last-recorded album Sexy Sweet Thing
Sexy Sweet Thing
Sexy Sweet Thing is an album released by funk/R&B group Cameo in 2000. This 14-track release was Cameo's first full album of new material since 1994's In the Face of Funk. Peaking at only #64 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts, the album was anything but a comeback...

, the album's title track, also had a single and video release. Around this time, they frequently performed in the U.S. and at various dates in Europe.

Larry Blackmon has a son, of the same name, in the New York political scene who has worked with Clinton, Bloomberg, and the NY Jets. Another of his sons, listed as N. Larry Blackmon, is building a rock/hip hop empire of his own.

Aaron Mills has a son, Michael, in Durham, N.C., who is attempting to launch a career as a recording artist and has a Facebook page promoting his fledgling recordings as "Miguel the Tyrant."

On August 28, 2010, Cameo along with other prominent musicians and groups including Zapp Band, and George Clinton
George Clinton (musician)
George Clinton is an American singer, songwriter, bandleader, and music producer and the principal architect of P-Funk. He was the mastermind of the bands Parliament and Funkadelic during the 1970s and early 1980s, and launched a solo career in 1981. He has been cited as one of the foremost...

, played at the Chafeitz Arena, located in St.Louis.

They performed six shows in total at Tokyo's "Cotton Club" on September 17, 18, and 19, 2010.

Present action

A few members of Cameo, such as Tomi Jenkins, Charlie Singleton, Anthony Lockett, Jeryl Bright and Gregory Johnson are currently active on social networks like Facebook, MySpace or their own site.
Tomi Jenkins released his new album The Way and is working on a movie about a fictional '70s funkband called Icemosis. Charlie Singleton released a new album called Phantom Of The Hip-Hopera. Gregory Johnson has a new and jazz-oriented album.
In 2009, John Kellogg was elected the first African-American President of the Music and Entertainment Industry Educators Association (MEIEA).
Jeryl Bright’s recording career started with the Detroit based funky Billboard award winning group Brainstorm. In Brainstorm, Jeryl was a singer and trombonist and at times got the opportunity to utilize some of his other talents of arranging, producing and composing. Jeryl wrote the title track for Brainstorms sophomore LP Journey To The Light and co-wrote others on their third and final CD. After three albums on Tabu Records, Brainstorm disbanded and while Jeryl sought a solo record deal he put together a band with Jazz drummer, legend Harvey Mason and George Michael’s bass player Deon Estus that had a short run. Harvey Mason said that not since JJ Johnson had he heard such a trombonist. From a child, Jeryl spent his formative years in California and Shreveport, Louisiana. His mother, who was a popular gospel singer, started him in Performing Arts on drums, voice, and dance at 3 years old. At 8 years old Jeryl studied the cello and at 11 he started to study classical and jazz on trombone winning him numerous awards. Back in Los Angeles, he became more interested in producing records and credits Leon Sylvers and Leon Hayward as his mentors in training him on making recordings. Looking forward to using his scholarship to Juilliard after High school, Jeryl stopped off in Detroit to visit a friend where he caught the eyes of a local band called Brainstorm who had a record deal pending with Tabu Records. He joined Brainstorm and they eventually signed with the label. Brainstorm scored a big hit on their first album (Storming) and received a Billboard award for the smash hit, Loving is Really My Game, Jeryl has, collaborated, played, and sang with other great producers in their own right: Donnie Lyle (R Kelly’s MD), producer Michael J Powell, David McMurray, Paul Jackson Jr., Gerald Albright, Marcus Miller, Jaco Pastorious, Fred Wesley, Earth Wind & Fire horns and many others.

After Brainstorm and Harvey Mason, Jeryl got a call from an up and coming band called Cameo and became a member of the group having an immediate impact on the groups sound by adding vocals with slick arrangements on many of Cameo’s hits. After 3 albums with Cameo Jeryl was signed to Epic Records and teamed up with fellows Cameo imps Aaron Mills and TC Campbell and recorded, “now a sought after classic” album entitled MCB. The hit song, taken from the MCB album entitled I’m The One You’re The One, was sung, written, and produced by Jeryl Bright hitting in over 30 countries. Jeryl then went independent with a release on Cheslen Records out of Los Angeles called Electric Body and produced a mild hit called The Mail Man on west coast rapper OG Hawk. In 1986 Jeryl returned to Cameo to participate in their biggest hit Word Up. Jeryl recorded several more albums with Cameo, toured with the group, and helped re-structure the group in 1995 up until 2001. In 2001, Jeryl moved from the west coast to Atlanta and set up his company Northern Image Inc. and recording label Bizcuit Records. In Atlanta, Jeryl hooked-up with Andre 3000 and worked on some musical arrangements and played trombone in the movie, Idle Wild.

In 2010 by popular demand the MCB CD was re-mastered, re-issued and distributed by Sony distribution music on Funky Town Grooves, USA. Currently, Bright is promoting classic hits from the MCB album, featuring new videos, "I'm the One, You're the One" and the funky rock stinger, "Feels So Right".

Covers

  • "Word Up!
    Word Up!
    Word Up! is an album by funk/R&B group Cameo released in 1986. The record made Cameo one of the most successful bands of that decade.-Track listing:*Tracks 1, 2, 3, 6 & 7 Published By All Seeing Eye Music-Better Days Music...

    " was covered by Nu metal band KoЯn
    Korn
    Korn is an American nu metal band from Bakersfield, California, formed in 1993. The current band line up includes four members: Jonathan Davis, James "Munky" Shaffer, Reginald "Fieldy" Arvizu, and Ray Luzier. The band was formed as an expansion of L.A.P.D.The band released their first demo album,...

     on their Greatest Hits, Volume 1,

Scottish rock band Gun
Gun (band)
Gun are a rock band from Glasgow, Scotland, best known for their cover of Cameo's "Word Up!".-Early career:Originally called Blind Allez then for a short time, 'Phobia', GUN were formed in 1987 by Giuliano Gizzi and Cami Morlotti , with Mark Rankin , Alan Thornton and David Aitken...

, German "Country Trash Punk Rock"-Band The BossHoss
The BossHoss
BossHoss is a band from Berlin which started in 2004 with Country & Western style cover versions of famous pop, rock and hip hop songs, for example "Hot in Herre" by Nelly, "Toxic" by Britney Spears and "Hey Ya!" by Outkast. They incorporate stereotypical American cowboy behavior into their act...

, Melanie B
Melanie Brown
Melanie Janine "Scary Spice" Brown , often better known as Mel B, is an English pop singer-songwriter, actress, author and television presenter...

, Electronic pop alliance These Stains Is Us and Romanian rock band Voltaj
Voltaj
Voltaj is a Romanian pop-rock group. They won the Best Romanian Act award at the MTV Europe Music Awards 2005.- History :...

 under the name "Hai sus!" (Get up!).

Hayley Willis, aka Willis
Willis
-People:*Bailey Willis, American geological engineer who worked for the United States Geological Survey *Bruce Willis, American actor; played David Addison in Moonlighting and John McClane in the Die Hard films*Chris Willis, American singer...

 on her Take You High EP (2003)

Samples

  • "Candy" was sampled by Tupac Shakur
    Tupac Shakur
    Tupac Amaru Shakur , known by his stage names 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper and actor. Shakur has sold over 75 million albums worldwide as of 2007, making him one of the best-selling music artists in the world...

     on his song "All Bout U", Will Smith
    Will Smith
    Willard Christopher "Will" Smith, Jr. , also known by his stage name The Fresh Prince, is an American actor, producer, and rapper. He has enjoyed success in television, film and music. In April 2007, Newsweek called him the most powerful actor in Hollywood...

     on his song "Candy", by Mariah Carey
    Mariah Carey
    Mariah Carey is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. She made her recording debut with the release of her eponymous studio album in 1990, under the guidance of Columbia Records executive Tommy Mottola, whom she later married in 1993...

     on her song "Loverboy
    Loverboy (Mariah Carey song)
    "Loverboy" is a song by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey. It was released on July 16, 2001 by Virgin Records as the lead single from Carey's eighth studio album, Glitter . Written and produced by Carey, Larry Blackmon, Thomas Jenkins, Clark Kent, "Loverboy" is built around a sample from...

    ", by Eightball and MJG on "Jus like Candy", and by The Black Eyed Peas
    The Black Eyed Peas
    The Black Eyed Peas are an American pop group , formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1995. The group includes rappers will.i.am, apl.de.ap, and Taboo, and singer Fergie. Since the release of their third album Elephunk in 2003, the group has sold an estimated 56 million records worldwide...

     on their songs "Like That" and "Ba Bump" from their album "Monkey Business
    Monkey Business (album)
    -Track listing:Notes*"My Humps" contains a hidden track "So Real".*"Audio Delite at Low Fidelity" includes a hidden track "Change".Sample Notes*"Pump It" samples "Misirlou" by Dick Dale....

    ", By Master P Album "Mamas Bad Boy" for song "Eyes Of A Killer" and again for His Group Tru album "Tru to the Game" song "Candy".
  • "Single Life" was sampled by rappers 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 Bad Azz on their song "Wrong Idea".
  • "Two of Us" was sampled by Tupac Shakur
    Tupac Shakur
    Tupac Amaru Shakur , known by his stage names 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper and actor. Shakur has sold over 75 million albums worldwide as of 2007, making him one of the best-selling music artists in the world...

     on his song "I Wonder If Heavens Got a Ghetto". The sampled beat was used by Beyonce Knowles
    Beyoncé Knowles
    Beyoncé Giselle Knowles , often known simply as Beyoncé, is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Born and raised in Houston, Texas, she enrolled in various performing arts schools and was first exposed to singing and dancing competitions as a child...

     on "What's It Gonna Be".
  • "Rigor Mortis" was sampled by DJ Quik
    DJ Quik
    David Martin Blake , better known by his stage name DJ Quik, is an MC and record producer. According to Quik himself, his stage name reflects his ability to produce records in short time....

     on his song "Get At Me", 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...

     on their song "Brand Nubian", and by Heavy D and the Boyz on their song "Big Tyme".
  • "She's Strange" was sampled by Tupac Shakur on his song "Young Niggaz", Dru Down
    Dru Down
    Darnel Robinson, better known by his stage name Dru Down, is an American rapper and actor from Oakland, California...

     on his song "Dru Rules", Nate Dogg
    Nate Dogg
    Nathaniel Dwayne Hale , better known by his stage name Nate Dogg, was an American musician. He is noted for his membership of rap trio 213 and his solo career in which he collaborated with Dr. Dre, Warren G, Tupac and Snoop Dogg on many hit releases. Nate Dogg released three solo albums, G-Funk...

     on his song "She's Strange", AMG
    AMG (rapper)
    Jason Lewis better known by his stage name AMG, is a rapper from Cleveland, Ohio who later moved to Inglewood, California...

     on his song "She's Paid", and Suga Free
    Suga Free
    Dejuan Rice , better known by his stage name Suga Free, is an American rapper from Pomona, California.-Biography:Suga Free was born in Oakland and raised in Compton, later becoming based in Pomona, California....

     on his song "So Fly" featuring Snoop Dogg and also the song "U Know My Name" with a sample of "Back and Forth". The production has also been interpolated on the Jermaine Dupri track titled 'Party Continues' featuring Usher and Da Brat on his album 'Life in 1472'.
  • The melody and chorus of "Back and Forth" was adapted by R. Kelly for Aaliyah's song "Back and Forth".
  • The ballad "Hangin' Downtown
    She's Strange
    She's Strange is the tenth album by the funk/R&B band Cameo, released in 1984.This album is dedicated to the late Polygram A&R-representative , Bill Haywood.As Cameo mentions in the liner-notes of the album , "The album which he always wanted"...

    " was sampled by Oran Juice Jones on his song "Make Love to Your Mind", by Shareefah on her song "Fevah (He don't know" and more famously by DJ Premier
    DJ Premier
    Christopher Edward Martin , better known by his stage name DJ Premier , is an American record producer and DJ, and was the instrumental half of the hip hop duo Gang Starr, together with emcee Guru...

     for Group Home's "Supa Star".
  • Speech
    Speech (rapper)
    Todd Thomas , better known by the stage name Speech, is an American rapper and musician. He is a member of the progressive hip hop group Arrested Development and has released a number of solo albums.-Background:...

     sampled "I've Got Your Image
    Single Life
    Single Life is a 1985 album by funk/R&B group Cameo. The album reached No. 62 on the Billboard charts and the title track also reached No. 15 in the UK charts.-Track listing:# "Attack Me With Your Love" – 4:30 - L.Blackmon/K.Kendrick...

    " in one of his recent productions.
  • "Why Have I Lost You [Version 2]" was sampled by Juvenile
    Juvenile (rapper)
    Terius Gray, better known by his stage name Juvenile, is an American rapper, He is also a former member of hip-hop group the Hot Boys . At the age of 19, he began recording raps, releasing his debut album Being Myself in 1995...

     on his song "Rodeo". The song was also sampled by 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...

     on the track "Super Soul Sis" off the debut album Regulate...G Funk Era
  • "Attack Me With Your Love" was sampled by satirical Norwegian rapper Oral Bee on his song "Den Breiale Stilen".
  • "Sparkle" was sampled by Tupac Shakur
    Tupac Shakur
    Tupac Amaru Shakur , known by his stage names 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper and actor. Shakur has sold over 75 million albums worldwide as of 2007, making him one of the best-selling music artists in the world...

     in his original version of "Loyal to the Game" recorded in 1993 in collaboration with Treach
    Treach
    Anthony Criss , better known by his stage name Treach, is an American rapper and actor. He is best known as the lead rapper of the hip hop group Naughty by Nature.-Career:...

     and The Riddler (rapper) which was never officially released. It was also sampled for Lil' Wayne's "Grown Man" featuring Curren$y from his Tha Carter II
    Tha Carter II
    Tha Carter II is the fifth studio album by American rapper Lil Wayne, released on December 6, 2005.- Critical reception :The album received general acclaim and was regarded as Lil Wayne's "Classic" and his best work to date.- Track listing :Notes...

     album.
  • "Shake Your Pants" was sampled by the rap group the 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....

     in their hit song "Hey Ladies
    Hey Ladies
    "Hey Ladies" is a song by American hip hop group the Beastie Boys, featured on their album Paul's Boutique. It was the album's only charting single, hitting #36 on the Billboard Hot 100...

    " off their critically acclaimed album, Paul's Boutique
    Paul's Boutique
    Paul's Boutique is the second studio album by American hip hop group Beastie Boys, released on July 25, 1989, on Capitol Records. Featuring production by the Dust Brothers, the recording sessions for the album took place in Matt Dike's Apartment and the Record Plant in Los Angeles from 1988 to...

    .

"Keep It Hot" was sampled by E-40 on his song "I Like What You Do To Me" off his 1996 Tha Hall of Game release.

Use in multimedia

"Word Up!" was used in the 2006 film Severance
Severance (film)
Severance is a British comedy horror film, written by James Moran, directed by Christopher Smith, and starring Danny Dyer and Laura Harris. In 2009, media interest in the film was revived following the alleged copycat murder of a UK teenager.-Plot:...

starring Danny Dyer
Danny Dyer
Danny Dyer is an English actor, media personality, and chairman of Greenwich Borough, a non-League football team.-Biography:Daniel John Dyer was born in Custom House, an area of East London, to Antony and Christine Dyer...



In October 2004 Candy appeared in popular video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is a 2004 open world action video game developed by British games developer Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games. It is the third 3D game in the Grand Theft Auto video game franchise, the fifth original console release and eighth game overall...

, playing on funk
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...

 radio station Bounce FM, also on Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is a 2004 open world action video game developed by British games developer Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games. It is the third 3D game in the Grand Theft Auto video game franchise, the fifth original console release and eighth game overall...

, was 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...

's "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...

", which samples "Rigor Mortis".

In the movie The 40-Year-Old Virgin
The 40-Year-Old Virgin
The 40-Year-Old Virgin is a 2005 American buddy comedy film about a middle-aged man's journey to finally have sex. The film was written and directed by Judd Apatow and co-written by its lead star, Steve Carell, though the film itself features a great deal of improvised dialogue...

, Andy (Steve Carell
Steve Carell
Steven John "Steve" Carell is an American comedian, actor, voice artist, producer, writer, and director. Although Carell is notable for his role on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, he found greater fame in the late 2000s for playing Michael Scott on The Office...

) is shown performing "Word Up!" on a karaoke machine in his apartment. Jackpot, a film which follows a karaoke
Karaoke
is a form of interactive entertainment or video game in which amateur singers sing along with recorded music using a microphone and public address system. The music is typically a well-known pop song minus the lead vocal. Lyrics are usually displayed on a video screen, along with a moving symbol,...

 singer hoping to get his big break, features an androgynous
Androgyny
Androgyny is a term derived from the Greek words ανήρ, stem ανδρ- and γυνή , referring to the combination of masculine and feminine characteristics...

 man giving a scene-stealing performance of "Candy". Larry Blackmon and T-Man were also supposed to be featured as celebrity cameos (not as the band, Cameo) in the 2007 release of "Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film For Theaters". Although they did not appear in the film itself, they are featured in the extras on the DVD. This footage shows them doing motion capture/CGI in order to be animated, as well as studio recording of the song written for the film.

The song "Candy" is also played during the bachelor party and wedding reception scenes in the 1999 motion picture The Best Man
The Best Man (1999 film)
The Best Man is a 1999 romantic comedy-drama film, written and directed by Malcolm D. Lee. It was produced by Spike Lee's production company, 40 Acres & A Mule Filmworks. The film stars Taye Diggs, Nia Long, Morris Chestnut and Sanaa Lathan, and is considered to be a male-centered answer to...

.

The song "Word Up" is played in The Simpsons
The Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...

, season 20 episode 6 (titled "Homer and Lisa Exchange Cross Words
Homer and Lisa Exchange Cross Words
"Homer and Lisa Exchange Cross Words" is the sixth episode of The Simpsons twentieth season. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on November 16, 2008. In the episode, Lisa discovers that she has a talent for solving crossword puzzles, and she enters a crossword tournament...

") when Lisa Simpson
Lisa Simpson
Lisa Marie Simpson is a fictional main character in the animated television series The Simpsons. She is the middle child of the Simpson family. Voiced by Yeardley Smith, Lisa first appeared on television in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987. Cartoonist Matt Groening...

 is performing in a crossword competition and also in Everybody Hates Chris when Chris says that his mom always wanted to be in a band and it goes to a cut scene of Rochelle dancing and singing to the song.

"Attack Me With Your Love
Single Life
Single Life is a 1985 album by funk/R&B group Cameo. The album reached No. 62 on the Billboard charts and the title track also reached No. 15 in the UK charts.-Track listing:# "Attack Me With Your Love" – 4:30 - L.Blackmon/K.Kendrick...

" was featured on Everybody Hates Chris
Everybody Hates Chris
Everybody Hates Chris is an African American television period sitcom inspired by the teenage experiences of comedian Chris Rock , while growing up in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York . The show is set from 1982 to 1987; however, Rock himself was a teenager during years...

. It can be heard in the beginning of the "Everybody Hates the First Kiss" season 3 episode.

In 2010s the song "Word Up" can be obtained as downoadable content for Dance Central, a Kinect videogame on the Xbox 360.

In 2011 the song "Word Up" was used in the film "Johnny English Reborn
Johnny English Reborn
Johnny English Reborn is a 2011 British spy comedy film parodying the James Bond secret agent genre and film franchise reboots. The film is the sequel to Johnny English , and stars Rowan Atkinson reprising his role as the title character and directed by Oliver Parker. The film has a slightly...

".

See also

  • List of Number 1 Dance Hits (United States)
  • List of artists who reached number one on the US Dance chart
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