Redman Disses MC Hammer on Debut: Sept. 22 in Hip-Hop History
Sept. 22, 1992 saw five artists release their first albums, including Redman and two from members of the Diggin' in the Crates Crew (D.I.T.C.). Five years later, Janet Jackson found common ground between Q-Tip and Joni Mitchell, and we're also celebrating the birthday of Mystikal.
1992: Immature arrive with On Our Worst Behavior
Hailing from Los Angeles, Immature's three members weren't even teenagers when their debut, On Our Worst Behavior, was released. The first single, "Tear It Up (On Our Worst Behavior)," rose to No. 29 on the R&B chart and was included on the soundtrack to the animated film Bebe's Kids, which was based on the stand-up comedy of Robin Harris, who had passed away two years prior. In 1999, they changed their name to IMx.
1992: Diamond D debuts with Stunts, Blunts and Hip Hop
A member of the D.I.T.C. Crew, Diamond D went from producer to MC on his first record, Stunts, Blunts and Hip Hop. Although it wasn't a commercial success -- it only peaked at No. 47 on the R&B/Hip-Hip albums chart -- its lead single, "Best-Kept Secret," served as the world's introduction to his fellow crew member Fat Joe.
1992: Redman disses MC Hammer on Whut? Thee Album
After making his debut on EPMD's Business as Usual, Redman returned a year later as a solo artist. Whut? Thee Album. Co-produced by Erick Sermon, "Blow Your Mind" became the breakout single, with samples by James Brown, Zapp, Parliament and Sly & the Family Stone. In addition to another big hit in "Time 4 Sum Aksion," the "Funky Uncles" skit saw him take down MC Hammer, who confronted him about it three years later.
“That nigga came up to me on [Yo! MTV Raps] on the last episode they had,” Redman said. “That nigga approached me. He was like, ‘Red, I’ma tell you somethin’. You young but I don’t allow nobody talkin’ about my mama. You understand me?' I said, ‘Yes, sir.' ... He shook my hand. He was like, ‘You a youngin’. I like what you do. But, you just know I don’t play nobody talkin’ bout my mama.’”
1992: Da Lench Mob strike out on their own with Guerillas in the Mist
Da Lench Mob were proteges of Ice Cube who appeared on his AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted. A couple of years later, he produced their debut, Guerillas in the Mist, and appeared on two of its singles, the title track and "Freedom Got an A.K." Although it went gold, they couldn't sustain their momentum after one of its members, J-Dee, was arrested for killing his girlfriend's roommate. The other two recruited Maulkie for 1994's Planet of da Apes, but they broke up shortly afterwards. A year later, J-Dee was convicted and sentenced to 29 years to life in prison.
1992: Showbiz & A.G. release Runaway Slave
On the same day that another member of the D.I.T.C. Crew, Diamond D, dropped his first record, Showbiz & A.G. put out their full-length debut. Runaway Slave followed in the lines of what Gang Starr and A Tribe Called Quest were doing, looking beyond funk towards jazz records from the '60s for their beats. But, like Stunts, Blunts and Hip Hop, it failed to make much of an impact at retail, only reaching No. 78 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.
1997: Janet Jackson drops "Got 'Til It's Gone" featuring Q-Tip and Joni Mitchell
For the lead single off her album The Velvet Rope, Janet Jackson used a sample of Joni Mitchell's 1970 folk song "Big Yellow Taxi" for the hook and title of "Got 'Til It's Gone," which also featured a rap by Q-Tip. The video, directed by Mark Romanek, stars Jackson as a singer at a houseparty in Apartheid-era South Africa.
1975: Mystikal is born
Michael Lawrence Tyler, aka Mystikal, was born in New Orleans in 1970. After releasing his debut on the local Big Boy label in 1994, he signed with Jive and broke through in 1997 with Unpredictable. But he took it even further at the start of the new century, with the chart-topping Let's Get Ready. It included big hits "Shake Ya Ass" and "Danger (Been So Long)" and, a year later, he was featured on Joe's "Stutter." But in 2004, he began a six-year sentence on sexual assault and extortion charges. He was released in 2010, but has since served sentences for domestic abuse and rape charges.