| Das EFX | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Petersburg, Virginia, United States |
| Genres | Hip-Hop, hardcore hip hop |
| Years active | 1988–present |
| Labels | East West Records/Atlantic Records |
| Associated acts | EPMD, Hit Squad, DJ Premier |
| Members | |
| Dray Skoob |
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Das EFX is an American hip hop duo. It consists of emcees Skoob (also known as Books, born William "Willie" Hines, November 27, 1970) and Dray (also known as Krazy Drayzy, born Andre Weston, September 9, 1970). They rose to popularity in the early 1990s due to their affiliation with EPMD's Hit Squad and the duo's stream of consciousness lyrical delivery, which became one of the most influential lyrical styles in hip hop music during the early 1990s.[1] Their style combined nonsensical lines with a fast-paced flow (that included words that end with "-iggedy") and numerous pop culture references.
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Member Skoob hails from Brooklyn, New York City while Krazy Drayzy hails from Teaneck, New Jersey but the two met at Virginia State University in 1988 and began performing together. They named themselves "Das" standing for "Drayz and Skoob" and "EFX" meaning "effects". Das EFX caught the attention of EPMD at a local talent show where, despite losing the competition, they did well enough to convince EPMD to sign them to a recording contract. The duo gained critical and commercial fame with the release of their landmark debut album, Dead Serious, which highlighted their unusual rapping style which they nicknamed "sewage".
Dead Serious went platinum and its lead single, "They Want EFX," (which contains samples from James Brown's "Blind Man Can See It" and Malcolm McLaren's "Buffalo Gals") reached the top ten on the U.S. Billboard R&B chart, the Top 40 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #1 on the Hot Rap Tracks chart. Follow-up singles "Mic Checka" and "Straight Out the Sewer" did not chart on the Hot 100, but reached #1 and #3 on the Hot Rap Tracks chart, respectively.
The duo also made a guest appearance on Ice Cube's smash hit single "Check Yo Self". The song reached #20 on the Hot 100 and #1 on the Rap Tracks chart. The track peaked at #36 in the UK Singles Chart in August 1993. The single also sold over one million copies in the U.S.[2] Their refrain of "Chiggedy-check yo self before you wriggedy-wreck yo self" became a catchphrase in 1993. The song has since appeared in the videogame Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, playing on the radio station Radio Los Santos.
From the time of their debut in 1992 to 1993, several elements of their style were adopted by other hip-hop artists, including the Lords of the Underground, The Fu-Schnickens, Kris Kross, Common and even, to a lesser extent, Public Enemy. The iggedy style was also referenced in the 1996 BLACKstreet song "No Diggity" with "diggity" meaning "doubt". This also became a popular catchphrase at the time. Jay-Z's early style is described by Vibe as "a distinctly Das EFX-type, stiggety style" on his 12" single "Can't Get With That",[3] though this is the type of delivery he along with his mentor, Jaz-O, exhibited on the track "The Originators" in 1989.
As their career progressed, however, Das EFX's once-distinctive and unique lyrical delivery became more commonplace as other artists imitated it. Derailed by the popularity of their own style, the duo slowed down their fast-paced flow, eliminated the iggedy suffix and downplayed their cartoonish content on their second album, Straight Up Sewaside. However, around the time of their third album Hold It Down (which was far less commercially successful than their debut release), Das EFX found themselves caught in the middle of EPMD's ugly breakup; it led to a three-year absence from recording. They returned in 1998 with the album Generation EFX and followed up in 2003 with the album How We Do; both were panned by critics. Das EFX continue to record and perform today to a much smaller yet devoted cult following. In an episode of Beverly Hills, 90210, David Silver can be seen reciting the lyrics to "They Want EFX."
In 2006, after a hiatus, Das Efx went on many International tours with DJ Rondevu.
In 2007, the duo appeared on the remix of Nas' "Where are They Now" and continued to tour the globe on a regular basis. They toured again in 2010, and are working on a new album.
Comedian Dave Chappelle has made numerous references to Das EFX's unique style and lyrics in sketches of his popular Chappelle's Show. In one sketch, a teenaged Chappelle tells his girlfriend "I riggity-realize that I liggity-love you". In another, Chappelle as President Bush announced that a country named "Riggity-Row" will join the Coalition of the Willing. In yet another sketch, Chappelle as a news anchor announces the opening lyrics of "They Want EFX" as a special report.
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