MC Tee
Encyclopedia
Touré Embden known by the stage name
MC Tee, is a Haitian-American emcee
and co-founder (with DJ
Kurtis Mantronik) of the 1980s old school hip hop
and electro funk
group Mantronix
.
, emigrated
with his family to the United States, and eventually settled in the Flatbush
section of Brooklyn, New York.
, where MC Tee was a regular customer, and Mantronik worked as the in-store DJ
. The duo soon made a demo
, formed the group Mantronix, and eventually signed with Sleeping Bag Records
.
MC Tee co-wrote Mantronix's debut single, "Fresh is the Word," a club hit in 1985, reaching #16 on the Hot Dance Singles Sales
chart. "Fresh is the Word" was featured on Mantronix's debut album, Mantronix: The Album, which was released the same year.
Mantronix's second album, Music Madness
, was released in 1986. While MC Tee's rhyming style
on the album continued in the traditional b-boy fashion of the times, Mantronik's club oriented production and mixing
in Music Madness tended to attract more dance music
and electro funk
aficionados than hardcore, old school hip hop
fans.
In 1987, Mantronix signed with Capitol
/EMI
and released In Full Effect
the following year (1988). MC Tee abruptly left Mantronix shortly after the release of In Full Effect to enlist in the United States Air Force
.
In a 1997 interview with MTV Europe
, Kurtis Mantronik commented on the departure of MC Tee from Mantronix:
Mantronix continued for two more albums following MC Tee's departure, 1990's This Should Move Ya
and 1991's The Incredible Sound Machine
, with Bryce "Luvah" Wilson
replacing MC Tee, before the group finally disbanded in 1991.
Touré Embden is listed as having lived in both Stone Mountain
and Lilburn, Georgia
.
Stage name
A stage name, also called a showbiz name or screen name, is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers such as actors, wrestlers, comedians, and musicians.-Motivation to use a stage name:...
MC Tee, is a Haitian-American emcee
Rapping
Rapping refers to "spoken or chanted rhyming lyrics". The art form can be broken down into different components, as in the book How to Rap where it is separated into “content”, “flow” , and “delivery”...
and co-founder (with DJ
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...
Kurtis Mantronik) of the 1980s old school hip hop
Old 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...
and electro funk
Electro (music)
Electro is a genre of electronic dance music directly influenced by the use of TR-808 drum machines, Moog keytar synthesizers and funk sampling...
group Mantronix
Mantronix
Mantronix was an influential 1980s hip hop and electro funk music group founded by DJ Kurtis Mantronik , and rapper MC Tee...
.
Early years
MC Tee was born in HaitiHaiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
, emigrated
Emigration
Emigration is the act of leaving one's country or region to settle in another. It is the same as immigration but from the perspective of the country of origin. Human movement before the establishment of political boundaries or within one state is termed migration. There are many reasons why people...
with his family to the United States, and eventually settled in the Flatbush
Flatbush, Brooklyn
Flatbush is a community of the Borough of Brooklyn, a part of New York City, consisting of several neighborhoods.The name Flatbush is an Anglicization of the Dutch language Vlacke bos ....
section of Brooklyn, New York.
Mantronix emcee
In 1984, Brooklyn native MC Tee met Kurtis Mantronik at Downtown Records in ManhattanManhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
, where MC Tee was a regular customer, and Mantronik worked as the in-store DJ
Disc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
. The duo soon made a demo
Demo (music)
A demo version or demo of a song is one recorded for reference rather than for release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas on tape or disc, and provide an example of those ideas to record labels, producers or other artists...
, formed the group Mantronix, and eventually signed with Sleeping Bag Records
Sleeping Bag Records
Sleeping Bag Records is a defunct New York City-based old school hip hop and dance music independent record label that operated from 1981 to 1992...
.
MC Tee co-wrote Mantronix's debut single, "Fresh is the Word," a club hit in 1985, reaching #16 on the Hot Dance Singles Sales
Hot Dance Singles Sales
Hot Dance Singles Sales is a chart released weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States, established in 1985. It measures the sale of commercially released singles that deal with dance music and remixes...
chart. "Fresh is the Word" was featured on Mantronix's debut album, Mantronix: The Album, which was released the same year.
Mantronix's second album, Music Madness
Music Madness
Music Madness is the second album by old school hip hop and electro funk group Mantronix. Music Madness was the final Mantronix album released on the independent Sleeping Bag Records label.-Track listing:# "Who Is It?" – 6:05...
, was released in 1986. While MC Tee's rhyming style
Rapping
Rapping refers to "spoken or chanted rhyming lyrics". The art form can be broken down into different components, as in the book How to Rap where it is separated into “content”, “flow” , and “delivery”...
on the album continued in the traditional b-boy fashion of the times, Mantronik's club oriented production and mixing
Remix
A remix is an alternative version of a recorded song, made from an original version. This term is also used for any alterations of media other than song ....
in Music Madness tended to attract more dance music
Dance music
Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole musical piece or part of a larger musical arrangement...
and electro funk
Electro (music)
Electro is a genre of electronic dance music directly influenced by the use of TR-808 drum machines, Moog keytar synthesizers and funk sampling...
aficionados than hardcore, old school hip hop
Old 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...
fans.
In 1987, Mantronix signed with Capitol
Capitol Records
Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...
/EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
and released In Full Effect
In Full Effect
In Full Effect is the third album by old school hip hop-electro funk group Mantronix, and the first Mantronix album released on Capitol Records. In Full Effect was the highest charting hip-hop album for Mantronix, reaching #18 on the 1988 Billboard Magazine Top R&B Albums chart. In Full Effect was...
the following year (1988). MC Tee abruptly left Mantronix shortly after the release of In Full Effect to enlist in the United States Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
.
In a 1997 interview with MTV Europe
MTV Europe
MTV Europe is a pan-European 24-hour entertainment cable and digital television network launched on August 1, 1987. Initially, the channel served all regions within Europe being one of the very few channels that targeted the entire European continent...
, Kurtis Mantronik commented on the departure of MC Tee from Mantronix:
Mantronix continued for two more albums following MC Tee's departure, 1990's This Should Move Ya
This Should Move Ya
This Should Move Ya is the fourth album by old school hip hop/electro funk group Mantronix, and the second Mantronix album released on Capitol Records. This Should Move Ya featured new members Bryce “Luvah” Wilson and Kurtis Mantronik’s cousin D.J...
and 1991's The Incredible Sound Machine
The Incredible Sound Machine
The Incredible Sound Machine is the fifth, and final, album by old school hip hop/electro funk group Mantronix, and the third Mantronix album released on Capitol Records. The Incredible Sound Machine featured new member, vocalist Jade Trini, who replaced D.J. D...
, with Bryce "Luvah" Wilson
Bryce Wilson
Bryce Wilson also formerly known as Bryce Luvah, is a record label executive/producer, actor, musician, and former emcee. He was formerly half of late 1990s contemporary R&B duo Groove Theory, and emcee/keyboardist for early 1990s dance music/electro funk/old school hip hop group Mantronix.-...
replacing MC Tee, before the group finally disbanded in 1991.
Current whereabouts
Speculation has surfaced on Mantronix and Kurtis Mantronik fan sites regarding a reunion of the original Mantronix line-up, but as of 2011, a reunion has yet to materialize.http://www.cheebadesign.com/legends/index.html.Touré Embden is listed as having lived in both Stone Mountain
Stone Mountain, Georgia
Stone Mountain is a city in eastern DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. The population was 5,802 at the 2010 census. It is an outer suburb of the Atlanta Metropolitan Area.-Geography:...
and Lilburn, Georgia
Lilburn, Georgia
As of 2010 Lilburn had a population of 11,596. The median age was 36.3. The racial and ethnic composition of the population was 52.7% white , 16.4% black or African American, 0.5% Native American, 4.8% Asian Indian, 10.4% other Asian, 12.3% from some other race and 2.8% from two or more races...
.
External links
- [ AllMusic.com Biography - MC Tee]
- Discogs.com Profile - MC Tee
- Internet Movie Database (imdb.com) Biography - Touré Embden