Ultramagnetic MCs
Encyclopedia
The Ultramagnetic MC's is an American hip hop
group based in Bronx, New York. Originally founded by Kool Keith
, the group is composed of Ced Gee
, TR Love, and Moe Love. Tim Dog
became an unofficial member in 1989. In 1990, DJ Jaycee was added as Roadmanager and backup DJ. A former member, Rooney Roon, was fired following an assault arrest. Beat-boxing legend Rahzel
was also involved with the group early in its career. The group's work was associated with unorthodox sampling, polysyllabic rhymes, and bizarre lyrical imagery.
and Tupac
's California Love. It was released in 1987. This led to the release of the group's first album.
The Ultramagnetic MC's released a new school classic in 1988, Critical Beatdown
, introducing many new sampling techniques. Many believe that without the group's primary producer, Ced Gee, the golden era of sampling may have looked very different. Ced, while uncredited, also produced the majority of Boogie Down Productions
' seminal Criminal Minded
. These albums are among the first to use "chopped" samples, rearranged and edited to change context. Both albums also feature many James Brown samples, which became very prominent in Hip Hop in ensuing years. KRS-One
has been quoted as saying that he was very close to joining Ultramagnetic MC's early on. Paul C. was also a major contributor to Critical Beatdown, producing "Give The Drummer Some," and engineering most of the album. Paul C. also produced the Hip-House mix of "Traveling At The Speed Of Thought", which was used as the group's first music video, and was their sole release in 1989. The single's b-side, "A Chorus Line", became one of Ultramagnetic's most popular songs and introduced new group affiliate Tim Dog. A variation of the "A Chorus Line" instrumental was used as the basis of Tim Dog's debut single, the Ced Gee-produced "Fuck Compton", which became a modest hit and is credited with helping to spark the East coast/West coast feud of the mid '90s.
The group went on a hiatus for several years, breaking up temporarily in 1990. They returned on Mercury Records
in 1992, with the album Funk Your Head Up
. The album received a muted response, in part because many tracks had been given a commercial sheen, having been remixed by outside producers at the label's insistence. Alternate mixes of this album's songs along with unreleased tracks from the sessions have appeared on later compilations. The song Poppa Large, remixed by Da Beatminerz
became a hit and remains a staple of Kool Keith's live show. The song's video featured Keith in a straightjacket, his bald head encased in a birdcage.
In 1993, the group released the album The Four Horsemen
, which featured guest production and vocals by Godfather Don
, who produced solo Kool Keith sessions in 1992. Some of those tracks appear on The Four Horsemen, and also on The Cenobites LP. The former was the last official album the Ultramagnetic MC's released until their 2007 reunion.
There were many semi-legitimate and compilation albums to follow, the most official of which was Next Plateau's The B-Sides Companion, which featured a new song, some unreleased 1989 songs recorded for a second Next Plateau LP and most of the group's classic singles, albeit in newly remixed form. Ced Gee and Moe Love both provided demos and unreleased songs spanning the group's entire career to Tuff City for a series of four albums which were released without Kool Keith's consent. A live album, Brooklyn To Brixton, was announced but abandoned.
As a reaction to Ced and Moe's involvement in the Tuff City releases, Kool Keith and Tim Dog reunited on the album Big Time, released under the name Ultra in 1997. Kool Keith went on to record many solo CDs, including several under aliases such as Dr. Octagon
and Dr. Dooom. His abstract rhymes and syncopated, off-beat delivery influenced many rappers, including Pharoahe Monch
from Organized Konfusion
and Ghostface Killah
of Wu-Tang Clan
.
In 2001, Ultramagnetic MC's released a single, "Make It Rain/Mix It Down" which whetted fans' appetites for a reunion album. Two other songs, "Baby, I'm Mad" and "Who Am I?" were recorded at the same sessions, but remain officially unreleased. In 2004, the original versions of the Next Plateau singles were finally released on CD as bonus tracks on the remastered Critical Beatdown. In a 9 December 2005 interview on Houston's Late Nite Snax radio show, Kool Keith confirmed rumours that the Ultramagnetic MC's had reformed and recorded a new album. Founding Ultramagnetic MC's member Ced Gee has set up Factshen Records. A new Ultramagnetic MC's LP, Back to the Future—The Bronx Kings Are Back, was scheduled to be released in 2006 but was later named The Best Kept Secret and released January 2007. Although the album's cover features the original line-up of Kool Keith, Ced Gee, Moe Love and TR Love, TR (along with Tim Dog) is notably absent. Instead, guest verses are provided by newcomers like Grafiq Malachi Sebek. However, Tim Dog and TR Love have each recently released songs featuring Ultramagnetic under their own names. The group also released a new song after the album's release called "We About Chix", the video can be seen on YouTube
.
The group have been chosen to perform live at the ATP I'll Be Your Mirror
festival curated by ATP & Portishead in September 2011 in Asbury Park, New Jersey.
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 based in Bronx, New York. Originally founded by Kool Keith
Kool Keith
Keith Matthew Thornton, better known by his stage name Kool Keith, is an American rapper from The Bronx, New York. A founding member of Ultramagnetic MCs, Kool Keith has recorded prolifically both as a solo artist and in group collaborations. Kool Keith is the self-proclaimed inventor of...
, the group is composed of Ced Gee
Ced Gee
Cedric "Ced-Gee" Miller is a hip hop producer, songwriter and performer from the Bronx, New York, best known as a member of the Ultramagnetic MCs. He worked in an uncredited capacity as a producer of Boogie Down Productions' Criminal Minded, and he produced Tim Dog's "Fuck Compton". He has also...
, TR Love, and Moe Love. Tim Dog
Tim Dog
Tim Dog is an American rapper from the Bronx, New York who rose to prominence during the early '90s with his debut LP Penicillin on Wax and the celebrated "diss" record "Fuck Compton". Tim had already appeared on songs with the Ultramagnetic MCs and went on to form a duo, Ultra, with member Kool...
became an unofficial member in 1989. In 1990, DJ Jaycee was added as Roadmanager and backup DJ. A former member, Rooney Roon, was fired following an assault arrest. Beat-boxing legend Rahzel
Rahzel
Rahzel M. Brown, also known as simply Rahzel, is an American musician and virtuoso beatboxer, formerly a member of The Roots.Nicknamed the "Godfather of Noyze," Rahzel is known for an ability to sing or rap while simultaneously beatboxing, as evidenced in his performances of "Iron Man" and his...
was also involved with the group early in its career. The group's work was associated with unorthodox sampling, polysyllabic rhymes, and bizarre lyrical imagery.
History
The Ultramagnetic MC's formed in 1984. Their first single was "To Give You Love" (1985) on the Diamond International label. The group's worldwide buzz started with "Ego Trippin'," its first 12-inch single on Next Plateau Records in 1986 that was the first hip hop song to feature the "Synthetic Substitution" drum break sample. The group's next single was "Traveling At The Speed of Thought (Original)"/"M.C.'s Ultra (Part Two)" followed by "Funky/Mentally Mad," one of the most sought-after 12-inch singles of its career. Funky was based on a Joe Cocker piano sample later used as the basis for Dr. DreDr. Dre
Andre Romelle Young , primarily known by his stage name Dr. Dre, is an American record producer, rapper, record executive, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. He is the founder and current CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and a former co-owner and artist of Death Row Records...
and Tupac
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...
's California Love. It was released in 1987. This led to the release of the group's first album.
The Ultramagnetic MC's released a new school classic in 1988, Critical Beatdown
Critical Beatdown
Critical Beatdown is the debut studio album by American hip hop group Ultramagnetic MCs, released October 4, 1988, on Next Plateau Records. Production for the album was handled primarily by the group's rapper and producer Ced-Gee, who employed a E-mu SP-1200 sampler as the album's main instrument...
, introducing many new sampling techniques. Many believe that without the group's primary producer, Ced Gee, the golden era of sampling may have looked very different. Ced, while uncredited, also produced the majority of 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...
' seminal Criminal Minded
Criminal Minded
Criminal Minded by Boogie Down Productions is a highly influential hip hop album. Production on the LP is credited to 'Blastmaster' KRS-One and DJ Scott La Rock , but in interviews it has been revealed that an uncredited Ced-Gee of The Ultramagnetic MCs had a key role in crafting the sound of the...
. These albums are among the first to use "chopped" samples, rearranged and edited to change context. Both albums also feature many James Brown samples, which became very prominent in Hip Hop in ensuing years. KRS-One
KRS-One
Lawrence Krisna Parker , better known by his stage names KRS-One , and Teacha, is an American rapper...
has been quoted as saying that he was very close to joining Ultramagnetic MC's early on. Paul C. was also a major contributor to Critical Beatdown, producing "Give The Drummer Some," and engineering most of the album. Paul C. also produced the Hip-House mix of "Traveling At The Speed Of Thought", which was used as the group's first music video, and was their sole release in 1989. The single's b-side, "A Chorus Line", became one of Ultramagnetic's most popular songs and introduced new group affiliate Tim Dog. A variation of the "A Chorus Line" instrumental was used as the basis of Tim Dog's debut single, the Ced Gee-produced "Fuck Compton", which became a modest hit and is credited with helping to spark the East coast/West coast feud of the mid '90s.
The group went on a hiatus for several years, breaking up temporarily in 1990. They returned on Mercury Records
Mercury Records
Mercury Records is a record label operating as a standalone company in the UK and as part of the Island Def Jam Motown Music Group in the US; both are subsidiaries of Universal Music Group. There is also a Mercury Records in Australia, which is a local artist and repertoire division of Universal...
in 1992, with the album Funk Your Head Up
Funk Your Head Up
Funk Your Head Up is the second studio album from Ultramagnetic MCs. Many of the tracks were remixed by outside producers at Mercury Records' insistence. The result was an album that disappointed hardcore fans of the group, while doing little to improve their sales...
. The album received a muted response, in part because many tracks had been given a commercial sheen, having been remixed by outside producers at the label's insistence. Alternate mixes of this album's songs along with unreleased tracks from the sessions have appeared on later compilations. The song Poppa Large, remixed by Da Beatminerz
Da Beatminerz
Da Beatminerz are a hip-hop production crew from Bushwick, Brooklyn, and are known for their dark, gritty sound that is very popular with the underground hip-hop scene.-History:The crew, originally composed of brothers Mr...
became a hit and remains a staple of Kool Keith's live show. The song's video featured Keith in a straightjacket, his bald head encased in a birdcage.
In 1993, the group released the album The Four Horsemen
The Four Horsemen (album)
The Four Horsemen is the third studio album by Ultramagnetic MC's. Godfather Don, who produced tracks 2, 4, 5, and 8, helped to incorporate a darker, jazzier sound than the group's previous work. "Checkin' My Style" and "See the Man on the Street" were originally recorded in 1992 during Godfather...
, which featured guest production and vocals by Godfather Don
Godfather Don
Godfather Don is a New York City hip hop record producer. He was in Cenobites with Kool Keith and The Groove Merchantz with Victor Padilla, The Beatnuts production team. He has been "a creative force within New York City's underground hip-hop scene" since he appeared with debut in...
, who produced solo Kool Keith sessions in 1992. Some of those tracks appear on The Four Horsemen, and also on The Cenobites LP. The former was the last official album the Ultramagnetic MC's released until their 2007 reunion.
There were many semi-legitimate and compilation albums to follow, the most official of which was Next Plateau's The B-Sides Companion, which featured a new song, some unreleased 1989 songs recorded for a second Next Plateau LP and most of the group's classic singles, albeit in newly remixed form. Ced Gee and Moe Love both provided demos and unreleased songs spanning the group's entire career to Tuff City for a series of four albums which were released without Kool Keith's consent. A live album, Brooklyn To Brixton, was announced but abandoned.
As a reaction to Ced and Moe's involvement in the Tuff City releases, Kool Keith and Tim Dog reunited on the album Big Time, released under the name Ultra in 1997. Kool Keith went on to record many solo CDs, including several under aliases such as Dr. Octagon
Dr. Octagon
Dr. Octagon was a persona created and used by American rapper Keith Matthew Thornton, better known as Kool Keith. First appearing on Thornton's 1996 debut solo album, Dr. Octagonecologyst, Dr. Octagon is an extraterrestrial time traveling gynecologist and surgeon from the planet Jupiter. Thornton...
and Dr. Dooom. His abstract rhymes and syncopated, off-beat delivery influenced many rappers, including Pharoahe Monch
Pharoahe Monch
Pharoahe Monch is an American hip hop artist. He is known for his complex lyrics, complex delivery, and internal and multisyllabic rhyme schemes.-Biography:...
from Organized Konfusion
Organized Konfusion
Organized Konfusion is an alternative hip hop duo from Queens, New York. Though not commercially popular, the duo was one of the most respected and acclaimed underground hip hop acts of the 1990s, largely due to the groundbreaking lyrics of Pharoahe Monch and Prince Poetry.-Recording career:Group...
and Ghostface Killah
Ghostface Killah
Dennis Coles , better known by his stage name Ghostface Killah, is an American rapper and prominent member of the Wu-Tang Clan. After the group achieved breakthrough success in the aftermath of Enter the Wu-Tang , the members went on to pursue solo careers to varying levels of success...
of Wu-Tang Clan
Wu-Tang Clan
The Wu-Tang Clan is a hip-hop group from Staten Island that consists of RZA, GZA, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, U-God, Masta Killa, and the late Ol' Dirty Bastard. They are frequently joined by fellow childhood friend Cappadonna, a quasi member of the group...
.
In 2001, Ultramagnetic MC's released a single, "Make It Rain/Mix It Down" which whetted fans' appetites for a reunion album. Two other songs, "Baby, I'm Mad" and "Who Am I?" were recorded at the same sessions, but remain officially unreleased. In 2004, the original versions of the Next Plateau singles were finally released on CD as bonus tracks on the remastered Critical Beatdown. In a 9 December 2005 interview on Houston's Late Nite Snax radio show, Kool Keith confirmed rumours that the Ultramagnetic MC's had reformed and recorded a new album. Founding Ultramagnetic MC's member Ced Gee has set up Factshen Records. A new Ultramagnetic MC's LP, Back to the Future—The Bronx Kings Are Back, was scheduled to be released in 2006 but was later named The Best Kept Secret and released January 2007. Although the album's cover features the original line-up of Kool Keith, Ced Gee, Moe Love and TR Love, TR (along with Tim Dog) is notably absent. Instead, guest verses are provided by newcomers like Grafiq Malachi Sebek. However, Tim Dog and TR Love have each recently released songs featuring Ultramagnetic under their own names. The group also released a new song after the album's release called "We About Chix", the video can be seen on YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
.
The group have been chosen to perform live at the ATP I'll Be Your Mirror
All Tomorrow's Parties (music festival)
All Tomorrow's Parties is a music festival which takes place at Camber Sands holiday camp in East Sussex and Butlin's holiday camp in Minehead, Somerset, England....
festival curated by ATP & Portishead in September 2011 in Asbury Park, New Jersey.
Albums
- 1988 – Critical BeatdownCritical BeatdownCritical Beatdown is the debut studio album by American hip hop group Ultramagnetic MCs, released October 4, 1988, on Next Plateau Records. Production for the album was handled primarily by the group's rapper and producer Ced-Gee, who employed a E-mu SP-1200 sampler as the album's main instrument...
- 1992 – Funk Your Head UpFunk Your Head UpFunk Your Head Up is the second studio album from Ultramagnetic MCs. Many of the tracks were remixed by outside producers at Mercury Records' insistence. The result was an album that disappointed hardcore fans of the group, while doing little to improve their sales...
- 1993 – The Four HorsemenThe Four Horsemen (album)The Four Horsemen is the third studio album by Ultramagnetic MC's. Godfather Don, who produced tracks 2, 4, 5, and 8, helped to incorporate a darker, jazzier sound than the group's previous work. "Checkin' My Style" and "See the Man on the Street" were originally recorded in 1992 during Godfather...
- 1994 – The Basement Tapes 1984–1990The Basement Tapes 1984–1990The Basement Tapes 1984-1990 is a compilation album by the Ultramagnetic MCs. It features the very first studio and home recordings made by the group, as well as unreleased songs from their early career and one new track, "Smoking Dust". Many of the tracks suffer from poor sound quality, their...
- 1996 – New York What Is FunkyNew York What Is FunkyNew York What Is Funky is an album by the Ultramagnetic MCs. Ced Gee supplied the tracks to Tuff City. These tracks were recorded from '90-'94 recording sessions...
- 1996 – Mo Love's Basement Tapes
- 1997 – Pimp Fiction
- 1997 – The B-Sides Companion
- 1998 – Smack My Bitch UpSmack My Bitch Up (Ultramagnetic MCs album)Smack My Bitch Up is an album by the Ultramagnetic MCs featuring all unreleased songs except "Smack My Bitch Up". It was released on CD and 12" vinyl...
- 2007 – The Best Kept Secret
Singles
- 1984 – "To Give You Love"/"Make You Shake"
- 1986 – "Ego Trippin'"/"Ego Bits"/"Funky Potion"
- 1987 – "Traveling At The Speed of Thought (Original)"/"M.C.'s Ultra (Part Two)"
- 1987 – "Mentally Mad"/"Funky"
- 1988 – "Watch Me Now"/"Feelin' It"
- 1988 – "Ease Back"/"Kool Keith Housing Things"
- 1989 – "Give The Drummer Some"/"Moe Luv Theme"
- 1989 – "Traveling At The Speed Of Thought (Remixes/LP Version)"/"A Chorus Line" (featuring Tim DogTim DogTim Dog is an American rapper from the Bronx, New York who rose to prominence during the early '90s with his debut LP Penicillin on Wax and the celebrated "diss" record "Fuck Compton". Tim had already appeared on songs with the Ultramagnetic MCs and went on to form a duo, Ultra, with member Kool...
) - 1991 – "Make It Happen"/"A Chorus Line (Pt. II)"
- 1992 – "Poppa Large (East Coast Remix)/(West Coast Remix)"
- 1993 – "Two Brothers With Checks (San Francisco Harvey)"/"One Two, One Two"
- 1993 – "Raise It Up (featuring Godfather DonGodfather DonGodfather Don is a New York City hip hop record producer. He was in Cenobites with Kool Keith and The Groove Merchantz with Victor Padilla, The Beatnuts production team. He has been "a creative force within New York City's underground hip-hop scene" since he appeared with debut in...
)"/"The Saga Of Dandy, The Devil And Day (Black Baseball)" - 1994 – "I'm Fuckin' Flippin"
- 1997 – "Watch Your Back"
- 2001 – "Make It Rain"/"Mix It Down"
- 2006 – "Mechanism Nice (Born Twice)"/"Nottz"
Appearances
- 1987 – "Red Alert Goes Berzerk"
- 1994 – "Wild Pitch Classics"
- 1999 – "It's All The Way Live" appears on a compilation, called Connected