Digital Underground was an American alternative hip hop group from Oakland, California. Their personnel changed and rotated with each album and tour.
Digital Underground’s leader and mainstay was Greg “Shock G” Jacobs (also known as Humpty Hump); Shock G formed the group in 1987 with Jimi “Chopmaster J” Dright of Berkeley, California, and Tampa hip-hop radio deejay Kenneth “Kenny-K” Waters.
Heavily influenced by the various funk bands of the 1970s, Digital Underground sampled such music frequently, which became a defining element of West Coast rap. As “Rackadelic”, Jacobs designed album covers and cartoon-laced liner notes, in homage to Parliament-Funkadelic album designs. Digital Underground is also notable for launching the career of member Tupac Shakur, as well as spinning off side projects and solo acts including Raw Fusion, Saafir, and singer Mystic.
Following the release of their “Doowutchyalike” single and video in the summer of 1989, the band gained popularity with their song “The Humpty Dance” in 1990. Digital Underground toured nearly every year until 2008; this consisted of live shows in Europe, Japan, Canada, Australia, and the U.S. While the group’s origins lay mostly in Oakland and Berkeley, California, various characters and voices from around the U.S and U.K. appeared on the band’s albums. Shock G and Money-B were the only individuals to appear on every album. Other recurring key contributors were David “DJ Fuze” Elliot, and deejay/producer Jeremy “J-Beats” Jackson, who both assisted Jacobs in developing the sound.
After approximately 20 years of touring, Shock G announced that the group would officially disband in 2008. Shortly after that announcement was made, the group also confirmed that their May 2008 album ..Cuz a D.U. Party Don’t Stop! would be their last studio effort.
Formation:
Jacobs spent most of his youth in Tampa, Florida and New York City. Founded in 1987, the group’s image was originally more militant, and was intended to be a tribute to social activists The Black Panthers. However, when Public Enemy became a prominent band, Jacobs chose to take the image in a more whimsical direction.
Associated acts: Raw Fusion, Gold Money
Tracklist
A1 Walk Real Kool 4:00
A2 Glooty-Us-Maximus – Featuring: Knumskull, Saafir 5:53
A3 Oregano Flow (Gumbo Soup Mix) 3:47
A4 Fool Get A Clue – Featuring: Black Spooks 4:03
A5 Rumpty Rump 1:01
A6 Food Fight – Featuring: Del Tha Funkee Homosapien 4:01
B1 Future Rhythm 3:52
B2 Hokis Pokis (A Classic Case) 5:22
B3 We Got More – Featuring: Luniz 3:09
B4 Hella Bump 4:27
B5 Stylin’ 4:21
B6 Midnite Snack 0:56
Gregory Edward Jacobs (August 25, 1963 – April 22, 2021), known professionally as Shock G (and his alter ego Humpty Hump), was an American musician, rapper, and lead vocalist for the hip hop group Digital Underground. He was responsible for Digital Underground’s “The Humpty Dance”, 2Pac’s breakthrough single “I Get Around”, and co-producer of 2Pac’s debut album 2Pacalypse Now.
On April 22, 2021, Shock G was found dead in a Tampa, Florida, hotel room.
Reviews
There are no reviews yet.