T.O.K.
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- This article is about the Jamaican boy band. For the IB course, see Theory of Knowledge (IB course).
| T.O.K. | ||
|---|---|---|
| Background information | ||
| Birth name | Alex ( Alistaire McCalla), Flexx (Xavier Davidson), Bay-C (Roshaun Clarke) & Craig-T s (Craig Patrick Anthony Thompson) | |
| Origin | Kingston, Jamaica | |
| Genre(s) | Dancehall, Reggae | |
| Years active | 1990–Present | |
| Label(s) | VP Records Atlantic Records |
|
| Website | tokworld.com | |
Founded in the early 1990s, T.O.K. are a dancehall boyband hailing from Kingston, Jamaica was comprised of 4 young adults playing reggae. Originally they were called "Touch of Klass", but they have devised several backronyms, including "Taking Over Kingston" and "TOo Klaat" and were inspired by the stateside success of Boyz 2 Men. The group is comprised of four members: Alistaire "Alex" McCalla, Roshaun "Bay C" Clarke, and Craig "Craigy T" Thompson, who were choir members at Kingston's Campion College, and a younger friend, Xavier "Flexx" Davidson, who attended Calabar High School. They toured the local high school circuit and worked their way up to appearances at the famed North Coast hotel and lounge circuit. They would differentiate themselves from the other groups by performing covers of Bob Marley songs or "Hot Stepper", by Ini Kamoze, which was a popular song at that time.
In 1996, they were signed to Sly & Robbie's Taxi label, but were not getting much attention. Their breakthrough came later on in 1996 with the single "Hardcore Lover", recorded with Lady Saw. They scored again with hits like "Whoa" and "Ill Na Na". Still, the #1 position eluded them until 1998 when "Eagles Cry" reached the top slot in Jamaica. Their biggest song to date is the controversial "Chi Chi Man" (Jamaican slang for homosexual) in 2000, which was a long running hit and drew fire from gay rights activists from the UK and outside of Jamaica. T.O.K. was not alone in drawing fire. The Jamaican Dancehall scene and many elements of Jamaican culture have been criticized as being homophobic by rights groups such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch. In 2005 T.O.K. had another hit with the song "Footprints", which touches on Christian themes.
The group broke into the U.S. market with a 2001 debut album, "My Crew, My Dawgs," which peaked at No. 6 on Billboard's Top Reggae Albums chart.
[edit] Singles
| Year | Title | Chart positions | Album | ||
| US Hot 100 | US R&B/Hip-Hop | US Hot Rap Tracks | |||
| 2005 | "Footprints" | #93 | #22 | #19 | Unknown Language |
| 2003 | "Gal Yah Lead (Remix)" (feat. Nina Sky & Beenie Man) | #85 | #36 | #24 | |
[edit] Albums
- My Crew, My Dawgs (2001)
- Unknown Language (2005) Album went Gold in Japan
