Stetsasonic

One of the first rap groups to use a live band, Brooklyn's Stetsasonic formed in 1981 and were also among the first to promote a positive Black consciousness that found its ultimate expression in the so-called "Daisy Age" sounds of <a href="spotify:artist:1Z8ODXyhEBi3WynYw0Rya6">De La Soul</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:2iclO3rlyF0YVNE46ctYRj">the Jungle Brothers</a>. The group consisted of DJs <a href="spotify:artist:7ajUo7DyiAOYvCndGLoJ1u">"Prince Paul" Huston</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:1u0MVxGtp6FlMsLYfjAw2u">Leonard "Wise" Roman</a>, keyboardist/drummer/DJ <a href="spotify:artist:33crkbkn6ZSdS7pZqipyuG">Marvin "DBC" Nemley</a>, and rappers <a href="spotify:artist:48DZoXDrDEGSwKqAsSVaVa">Glenn "Daddy O" Bolton</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:6e2JzQKtW5O5BZKtxZB0bx">Martin "Delite" Wright</a>, and <a href="spotify:artist:1Zr6fB2AUSdHQ4Dg17bKLQ">Bobby "Frukwan" Simmons</a>. <a href="spotify:artist:48DZoXDrDEGSwKqAsSVaVa">Daddy O</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:6e2JzQKtW5O5BZKtxZB0bx">Delite</a> founded the group as the Stetson Brothers, after the hat company, and began performing in New York hip-hop clubs, picking up other members along the way. Their debut, On Fire, was released in 1986, but it was the follow-up, In Full Gear, that brought them critical acclaim and an R&B hit, "Sally." 1991's Blood, Sweat & No Tears was considered by many to be their best and most diverse album, but <a href="spotify:artist:48DZoXDrDEGSwKqAsSVaVa">Daddy O</a> decided that they had run out of ideas and broke up the band. He went on to work with <a href="spotify:artist:1XkoF8ryArs86LZvFOkbyr">Mary J. Blige</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:5m7wCUhYhBh7A3A3YMxrbt">Queen Latifah</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:6futYSDVulYR2PktBjTB5W">Big Daddy Kane</a>, and <a href="spotify:artist:0L8ExT028jH3ddEcZwqJJ5">the Red Hot Chili Peppers</a> as a producer and remixer. In 1993, he released a solo album You Can Be a Daddy, But Never Daddy-O. Meanwhile, <a href="spotify:artist:7ajUo7DyiAOYvCndGLoJ1u">Prince Paul</a> had already established himself as a producer for his work with <a href="spotify:artist:1Z8ODXyhEBi3WynYw0Rya6">De La Soul</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:20p5D2KrE8CGuOjHtxsyTp">Fine Young Cannibals</a>, and later worked with <a href="spotify:artist:1Zr6fB2AUSdHQ4Dg17bKLQ">Frukwan</a> in <a href="spotify:artist:5NIhgQ08PBzMux08ndi8Ae">the Gravediggaz</a>, co-founded the <a href="spotify:artist:3pkmfqaBNsMqnXus05PNfP">Handsome Boy Modeling School</a> and released a string of solo albums. ~ Steve Huey, Rovi