| Digital Underground, a shifting stable of rappers and DJs led by Shock G, formed in Oakland in 1987. Their music has always been heavily influenced by George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic, in both Digital Underground's grooves and the surreal humor in their rhymes. Digital Underground's first record was the 1987 single "Underwater Rimes" by TNT Records which, oddly enough, reached No. 1 in the Netherlands. At that point, the group consisted of Shock G and Chopmaster J; by 1989, when Digital Underground signed with Tommy Boy Records, there were seven members. The group's first album on Tommy Boy was 1989's Sex Packets. The album's first singles, "Doowhutchyalike" and "The Humpty Dance," showcased Shock G's nasally prolific alter ego Humpty Hump. The character was a hit as the single went to No. 11 on the pop charts, pushing the album to platinum sales. Sex Packets was followed by This is an EP Release in 1991. The EP was Digital Underground's first recording with new member Tupac Shakur and the group Gold Money; it went gold, as did 1991's Sons of the P album. However, as the '90s wore on, the rap charts were taken over by hardcore gansta artists, and more lighthearted music like that of Digital Underground was no longer commercially viable. Despite debuting another successful solo rapper, Saafir, 1993's Body Hat Syndrome barely registered on the charts, and the group disappeared for three years before releasing Future Rhythm in 1996 and Who's Got the Gravy? in 1998 ... |
