Smif-N-Wessun
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Smif-N-Wessun/ Cocoa Brovaz |
|
|---|---|
 Tek (left) and Steele |
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| Origin | Brooklyn, New York City |
| Years active | 1993 – Present |
| Genres | Hip hop |
| Labels | Duck Down Records |
| Members | Tek Steele |
Smif-N-Wessun (aka Cocoa Brovaz) is a hip hop duo consisting of members Tek and Steele. Smif-N-Wessun are 1/4 of the Brooklyn supergroup Boot Camp Clik, with Buckshot, Heltah Skeltah and O.G.C.
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[edit] Biography
The duo debuted on Black Moon's 1993 album Enta Da Stage, appearing on the tracks "Black Smif-N-Wessun" and "U Da Man". They released their first single "Bucktown" b/w "Let's Git It On" in early 1994. "Bucktown" became an underground smash, and gave the group considerable hype for their debut album, Dah Shinin', released in January 1995. The album debuted in the Top 5 on the Billboard R&B/Hip Hop Charts, and went on to sell over 300,000 copies in the United States. Along with "Bucktown", the album featured the singles "Wrekonize" b/w "Sound Bwoy Bureill" and "Wontime" b/w "Stand Strong". Dah Shinin became an influential album in the hardcore New York hip hop scene of the mid-90's, and is considered a rap classic. Soon after the release of their debut, Smif-N-Wessun were sued with a cease and desist order over their group name by the Smith & Wesson firearms company. To avoid the lawsuit, they decided to change their name to the Cocoa Brovaz in 1996. In 1997, the Cocoa B'z joined up with the entire Boot Camp Clik for their first group album For the People. The album was seen as a disappointment, and led to the eventual decline of the Camp's popularity. In early 1998, they dropped their sophomore album The Rude Awakening. The release was met with mixed reviews and moderate sales. The album's lead single, the Raekwon-assisted "Black Trump", was not able to reach any Billboard charts. In 1999, the Clik was dropped from Priority Records, leaving the duo temporarily unsigned. Soon after, the Cocoa Brovaz released an underground single, "Super Brooklyn", which featured a sample from Super Mario Bros. Because of the illegal use of the sample, the duo was not able to officially release the track, but the single landed them a deal with leading underground rap label Rawkus Records. They appeared on a number of compilation albums over the next few years, including Soundbombing 2, Lyricist Lounge 2, Game Over and Soundbombing 3. They were never able to release an album on Rawkus, and in 2002, they rejoined Duck Down Records for the release of the Clik's second group album The Chosen Few. In September 2005, they returned as Smif-N-Wessun for the album Tek N Steele: Reloaded. The album received good reviews, and sold around 35,000-40,000 copies in the United States. In 2006, the Boot Camp Clik released their third group album, The Last Stand, to strong reviews.
[edit] Discography
| Album cover | Album information |
|---|---|
 |
Dah Shinin'
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The Rude Awakening (as Cocoa Brovaz) |
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Tek N Steele: Reloaded
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[edit] Album chart positions
| Year | Album | Chart positions | ||
| Billboard 200 | Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums | Top Independent Albums | ||
| 1995 | Dah Shinin' | #59 | #5 | - |
| 1998 | The Rude Awakening | #21 | #3 | - |
| 2005 | Tek N Steele: Reloaded | - | #69 | ? |
[edit] Singles chart positions
| Year | Song | Chart positions | Album | ||
| Billboard Hot 100 | Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks | Hot Rap Singles | |||
| 1994 | "Bucktown" | #93 | #61 | #14 | Dah Shinin' |
| 1994 | "Let's Git It On" | - | - | #14 | Dah Shinin' |
| 1995 | "Wrekonize" | - | #95 | #29 | Dah Shinin' |
| 1995 | "Sound Bwoy Bureill" | - | - | #29 | Dah Shinin' |
| 1995 | "Wontime" | - | - | #48 | Dah Shinin' |
| 1997 | "Won On Won" | - | #94 | - | Soul In The Hole OST/ The Rude Awakening |
| 1998 | "Bucktown USA" | - | - | #47 | The Rude Awakening |
| 2001 | "Get Up" | - | #90 | #9 | Lyricist Lounge 2 |
[edit] External links
| Boot Camp Clik |
| Groups |
|---|
| Black Moon | Smif-N-Wessun | Heltah Skeltah | O.G.C. | The Fab 5 |
| Members |
| Buckshot | Tek | Steele | Sean Price | Rock | Starang Wondah | Louieville Sluggah | Top Dog |
| Albums |
| Enta Da Stage | Dah Shinin' | Nocturnal | Da Storm | Diggin' in Dah Vaults | For the People | The Rude Awakening | Magnum Force | War Zone | The M-Pire Shrikez Back | Duck Down Presents: The Album | The BDI Thug | Basic Training: Boot Camp Clik's Greatest Hits | The Chosen Few | Collect Dis Edition | Total Eclipse | Monkey Barz | Chemistry | Tek N Steele: Reloaded | The Last Stand | Jesus Price Supastar |
| Affiliated members |
| Dru-Ha | Da Beatminerz | Representativz |
| See also |
| Duck Down Records |
