Resident Alien : Oooh The Dew Doo Man (From Mr Boops 12")

Resident Alien : Oooh The Dew Doo Man (Dew Doo Man, 1991)

The Dew Doo Man was only 20 when Russel Simmons gave him the opportunity to run his own label under the Rush associated Labels umbrella.

Having produced the first De La Soul album, and a couple of hit singles for Third Bass, Nikki D, Queen Latifah, Big Daddy Kane and Groove B Chill Prince Paul was happy being just a producer. It was a better status than just being a DJ in Stetsasonic, that's why he turned down the offer at first. But After Lyor Cohen insisted he gave the idea a second thought and finally agreed to do it.

He took the $50 000 advance, called three friends who really didn't rhyme, and proceed to record his first concept album, called "It Takes A Nation Of Suckas To Let Us In". From day one there was a big gap between what Russel had in mind and what Paul was doing. He had to fight with him to let him called the label Dew Doo Man records. Russel wanted him to make pop hits, and he was making a concept album.

When this 12" came out in november 1991, The Choice Is Yours and Scenario where still on rotation everywhere, so you would think it would have been quite easy to push this record, but Def Jam's staff was busy pushing more traditional stuff like Nice & Smooth or LL Cool J. So Paul decide to come together with Downtown Science and Nikki D to go and talk to Lyor, but none of them show up at the meeting but Paul. The tall Israeli decided he didn't want to be bothered by a&r who cared about music and pull the plug on the Resident Alien project and Dew Doo Man records was no more after only one 12".

Blueprint : No Half Smokin (from Print Is Goin Off 7")

Blueprint : No Half Smokin (RhymeSayers, 2005)
Visioneers : The world is yours (BBE,2005)
Nina Gordon : Straight Outta Compton


I think this rap cover trend has now jumped the shark. It was odd when Snoop first covered Ladi Dadi and then Vapors, but at least it was new. Nobody seemed to be interested in paying hommage to the elders for a long time except for a couple of indie artist, like Blackstar who covered Children Story, at the same time Mad SKillz did Lick The Balls and then Madlib had a parody of Pickin Boogers called "Hittin hookers". But the repertoire was limited to the Biz and Slick Rick then.

In the past few year we've heard covers of everybody in everystyle, from TI paying respect to UGK, to Wu-Tang Clan instrumentals, to ska version of some Outkast hit, to this folk singer doing "Straight Outta Compton" etc...

It was fun while it last, but who in his right mind thought it was cool to cover Kriss Kross' Jump ?!?!!

Do the new generation of rappers idolize Kriss Kross ? I guess that means hip-hop is dead, right ?