Force MDs

The Force M.D.s are an American

The group began performing on Times Square, New York City street corners and during trips on the Staten Island ferry.^[2] After the L.D.s connected with DJ Dr. Rock (Roger Daniels) they then performed as "Dr. Rock & the Force MCs."^[2] The group was discovered by hip hop promoter Vansilk in summer 1981. The three members were Dr. Rock, Stevie D. and Mercury. In collaboration with Dr. Rock, the group continued to perfect their unique sound, which was unusual at the time: a fusion of doo-wop harmonies and hip-hop that involved singing, rapping and group member's "human beatbox" melodies at underground hip hop shows.^[2] They gained even more credibility and respect from local fans after competing in an emcee lyrical battle against the well known Cold Crush Brothers from the Bronx in 1983.

By 1984, the group signed with

Success

The group produced a collection of R&B hits throughout the 1980s, and received overwhelming commercial success from the

In 1987 they finally scored their first R&B #1 hit, "Love Is a House," from their third album, Touch and Go.

Waning popularity and member changes

By the late 1980s the group's popularity began to wane. A fourth album, Step to Me, was released in 1990, which featured record production by Full Force, Marley Marl, Monte Moir (of the band The Time), and others. Members Pearson and Nelson left soon afterward, replaced by original member Rodney "Khalil" Lundy (who had initially left the band early in their career) and new member Shawn Waters. The group then released the album Moments in Time in 1994, but failed to chart or produce any hits. In 1996 the group appeared on several tracks on the Ghostface Killah album Ironman.

Deaths in the group and a last reunion

Three of the group's members died during the latter half of the 1990s: Nelson suffered a fatal heart attack in 1995; former collaborator DJ Dr. Rock died suddenly of AIDS in 1996; and in 1998, Antoine Lundy died of

Surviving members of the group's classic lineup - Daniels, Pearson, and Stevie D. Lundy - along with Rodney Lundy returned with a comeback album, The Reunion, in 2000, but it failed to chart or register any hits. Damen Heyward, a native of The Bronx formerly of the mid-/late-1980s group 4 By Four, later joined the group as well. After leaving the group, Heyward went on to tour with artists such as Joe.

Trisco Pearson died on September 16, 2016,^[6] at age 53, after a battle with stage 4 cancer.^[7] His death was announced by Bow Legged Lou of Full Force. Jessie Daniels died on January 4, 2022, at the age of 58.^[8]

Legacy

• The song "Tender Love" has been sampled in the 1996
  The Backstreet Boys, Kelly Rowland, Marques Houston and Marsha Ambrosius
  .
• In an interview in 2009 U.S. President Barack Obama highlighted the band among other artists included in his Air Force One iPod playlist when he travels.^{[citation needed]}
• On April 8, 2010, the newly reformed Force MD's made their first national television appearance in over a decade on
  BET's The Mo'Nique Show
  .
• A documentary film titled The Force M.D.s Relived was shot recently, but the release date for a DVD is unknown at the moment.
• On September 9, 2015, they were featured on an episode of
  TV One's Unsung
  .
• The members of Force MD's were referenced in the song "Okkervil River R.I.P" by indie-folk band
  Okkervil River on their 2016 album Away
  .

• T.C.D. (Antoine Lundy) (died 1998)
• Mercury (Charles Nelson) (died 1995)
• DJ Dr. Rock (died 1996)
• Shawn Waters
• Trisco (Trisco Pearson) (died 2016)
• Jessie D. (Jessie Lee Daniels) (died 2022)
• Damen Heyward

Discography

Studio albums

Compilation albums

Singles

Filmography

• 1985: Rappin'
• 1989: Limit Up

Cover version

One of their songs "Tender Love" was covered by

Further reading

• Ebony
• Hip Hop in America: A Regional Guide
• Staten Island Advance
• Blues & Soul (subscription required)

External links

• The Force M.D.'s at AllMusic
• The Force M.D.'s at Discogs