Spoonie Gee

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Spoonie Gee
Birth nameGabriel Jackson
Also known asThe Godfather, Spoonin Gee, The Metropolitician
Born (1963-05-27) May 27, 1963 (age 60)
New York City, U.S.
GenresHip hop, funk
Occupation(s)Rapper
Years active1975—present
LabelsEnjoy! Records
Tuff City
Sound of New York, USA

Gabriel Jackson (born May 27, 1963), better known by his

hip hop[citation needed] and some of the themes in his music were precursors of gangsta rap
.

Career

Jackson was born in Harlem, New York City, receiving his 'Spoonie' nickname as a child because the spoon was the only utensil that he used to eat with.[1][2] His mother died when he was twelve years old, and he went to live with his uncle, the record producer Bobby Robinson, in whose apartment he began to practice rapping.[1][2][3]

His first recording came about after Peter Brown visited Robinson's record store and mentioned that he was looking to make a rap record.[3] Spoonie's name was suggested, and he recorded "Spoonin' Rap", which was released on Brown's Sound of New York, USA imprint, featuring a lyric that included jailhouse references that would later become common in gangsta rap, and with echo applied to his vocals.[4] Spoonie Gee has been described as "the original gangsta rapper".[5][6]

He then recorded for Robinson's

Special K as a member when Jackson left to record his first single, Gee maintained ties and affiliation with the group, and also played a hand in the group getting their first record deal. The group was named Spoonie Gee and the Treacherous Three when Jackson returned for a period before going solo.[7]

He left Enjoy! and moved to

Teddy Riley, and issued on the Tuff City label.[1] His career has since been hampered by several spells in prison.[2]

In the mid-1990s, a compilation of his work, Godfather of Hip Hop, was issued on the Ol' Skool Flava label. In the mid-2000s, he returned with a new EP, The Boss Is Back.[4]

In 2008, "Love Rap" was ranked number 65 on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of Hip Hop.[8]

Discography

Albums

  • The Godfather of Rap (1987), Tuff City
  • Old and New Jams (1989), BCM (compilation)
  • Old and New Jams/The Godfather (1993), BCM (compilation)
  • Godfather of Hip Hop (1996), Ol' Skool Flava (compilation)

Singles

  • "Spoonin' Rap" (1979), Sound of New York
  • "Love Rap" (1979), Enjoy! – B-side of Treacherous Three's "New Rap Language"
  • "Monster Jam" (1980), Sugar Hill – Spoonie Gee Meets The Sequence
  • "Spoonie Is Back" (1981), Sugar Hill
  • "Re-Mix of Spoonie Rap" (1982), Heavenly Star
  • "The Big Beat" (1983), Tuff City/Epic
  • "Get Off My Tip" (1985), Tuff City
  • "New Love Rap" (1985), Enjoy!
  • "Street Girl" (1985), Tuff City
  • "That's My Style"/"I'll Serve You Right" b/w "Take It Off " (1986), Tuff City
  • "I'm All Shook Up" (1987), Tuff City
  • "The Godfather" (1987), Tuff City
  • "(You Ain't Just a Fool) You's an Old Fool" (1988), Tuff City
  • "Mighty Mike Tyson" (1988), Tuff City
  • "Spoonin' Rap" (1999), Ol' Skool Flava
  • "Bodyrock" – Moby featuring Spoonie G (1999), Mute, V2
  • The Boss Is Back EP (2005), New Sound of Harlem

References

  1. ^
    ISBN 0-7535-0252-6
  2. ^
    ISBN 1-84353-263-8
  3. ^
    ISBN 978-0-86104-777-2
  4. ^
    Allmusic
    , retrieved 2010-03-28
  5. ^ Leland, John (1989) "RECORDINGS; Rap as Public Forum on Matters of Life and Death", The New York Times, 12 March 1989. retrieved 2010-03-28
  6. ^ Leland, John (1990) "HIP HOP FOR BEGINNERS A Parents' Guide to What's Dookie and Fly", Newsday, 26 August 1990. retrieved 2010-03-28
  7. Experience Music Project
    . p. 265.
  8. ^ "VH1’s 100 Greatest Hip-Hop Songs", Stereogum.com. retrieved 2010-03-28

External links


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