Camp Lo
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| Camp Lo | ||
|---|---|---|
| Background information | ||
| Origin | The Bronx, New York | |
| Genre(s) | Hip Hop | |
| Years active | 1995 – Present | |
| Label(s) | Profile Records Dymond Crook Records |
|
| Associated acts |
Ski | |
| Members | ||
| Geechi Suede Sonny Cheeba |
||
Camp Lo is an American hip hop duo, formed in 1995, which hails from The Bronx, New York. The duo consists of rappers Sonny Cheeba and Geechi Suede. They are most notable for lyrics that consist almost entirely of Blaxploitation-style Dadaist slang.
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[edit] Biography
Camp Lo made their first appearance in 1996 on The Great White Hype soundtrack, with their single "Coolie High". The smooth party song was a minor hit, peaking at #25 on the Billboard Hot Rap Singles chart. Their first major exposure came with the release of their second single, the upbeat, horn driven "Luchini AKA This Is It". The song became a crossover hit in 1997, breaking into the top 50 on the Billboard Hot 100, and reaching the top 5 on the Hot Rap Singles chart. The duo released their debut album Uptown Saturday Night in January 1997. The effort was widely acclaimed, praised for their light accessible content and their smooth, funk and jazz inspired production. All Music Guide's Leo Stanley stated in AMG's album review:
| “ | Camp Lo's debut album is a refreshing fusion of hip-hop, soul and jazz that manages to avoid most jazz-rap cliches while retaining street credibility.” | ” |
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- —Leo Stanley[1]
The majority of the album was produced by Ski, famous for his work with Jay-Z. Guest appearances were provided by De La Soul's Trugoy and Digable Planets' Butterfly. The album's 70s-style content was influential on a number of artists within the next few years after its release, like Will Smith, who enlisted Camp Lo for an appearance on his top-selling Big Willie Style album. Also in 1997, they appeared on Oran "Juice" Jones' single "Poppin' That Fly". They collaborated with Hip Hop legends De La Soul in 2000, on the song "So Good" from the Hip Hop 101 Compilation. They finally returned with another album in 2002, titled Let's Do It Again. This effort was not nearly as well-received as their debut, and was met with mediocre reviews and sales. Shortly after the album's release, Aesop Rock enlisted them to appear on his album Bazooka Tooth, exposing them to fans of the underground Definitive Jux label. The duo has recently been in negotiations with Blacksmith Records, a label headed by rapper Talib Kweli. Kweli has expressed interest in signing Camp Lo to his label. In 2006, Camp Lo recorded the song "I Wanna Be" for Midway's NBA Ballers: Phenom Soundtrack. Also in 2006, "Bed Rock", the first single from a mixtape called Fort Apache, was released exclusively through on-line sources.
[edit] Lyrical confusion
Camp Lo uses slang heavily in their songs, often to the point of near incomprehensibility. A typical example of their lyrical style is:
- "Casanova brown, levitating jeeky in dashikis / In la hotta Car 54 chasin' diamond runners / Headin' ice-bound, where every chilla dime can get / Your Harlem buck strut freezin' world heist Hollywood."
Their heavy use of slang has been very influential, and is reminiscent of artists like Wu-Tang Clan's Raekwon the Chef and Ghostface Killah, who popularized extreme slang usage on the album Only Built 4 Cuban Linx.
[edit] Discography
| Album cover | Album information |
|---|---|
 |
Uptown Saturday Night
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Let's Do It Again |
