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Kool Moe Dee

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Gale Contemporary Black Biography:

Kool Moe Dee

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rap musician; actor

Personal Information

Born Mohandas DeWese in 1963 (some sources say 1962), in Harlem, NY
Education: State University of New York, B.A. in communications.

Career

Rapper. Began rapping in high school; formed the Treacherous Three; released "The New Rap Language," "Body Rock," and "Feel the Heartbeat," 1980-81; solo single "Go See the Doctor," c. 1986; signed with Jive Records and released I'm Kool Moe Dee, 1986; released platinum-selling How Ya Like Me Now, 1987; released gold-selling Knowledge is King, 1989; became the first rapper to perform at the Grammy awards, 1989; collaborated on the Stop the Violence Movement's "Self-Destruction" and Quincy Jones's Back on the Block, 1989; released Funke, Funke Wisdom, 1991; released Greatest Hits, 1993; dropped from Jive Records, 1993; released Treacherous Three reunion album, 1993; released Interlude, 1994; started film career 1995-; appeared in movies such as Gang Related, 1997; Storm Trooper, 1998; Cypress Edge, 1999; Out Kold, 2001; The New Guy 2002.

Life's Work

As part of the seminal rap trio Treacherous Three, rapper Kool Moe Dee became one of rap's "founding fathers," according to Rolling Stone. A platinum-selling solo artist, the old-school rapper built his rhymes on politically conscious lyrics with such albums as I'm Kool Moe Dee, How Ya Like Me Now, Knowledge Is King, and Funke, Funke Wisdom. Moe Dee was part of a wave of socially conscious rap that directly countered the message of guns, drugs, and misogyny promoted by such acts as NWA. He encouraged his listeners to read the Bible, avoid drugs and crime, and develop self-pride.

Formed the Treacherous Three

Moe Dee was born Mohandas DeWese in 1963 (some sources say 1962), in Harlem, New York. He was as inspired by Muhammad Ali's verbal poeticism as he was by his boxing, and Dr. Seuss's rhymes in the Cat in the Hat captivated him as a child. He practiced his own rapping and rhyming skills at Norman Thomas High School in New York City, commandeered the mic at house parties to get himself heard, and soon formed the Treacherous Three with fellow rappers L.A. Sunshine and Special K. The trio recorded three tracks, "The New Rap Language," "Body Rock," and "Feel the Heartbeat," on producer Bobby Robinson's Enjoy record label. They also recorded on the seminal hip-hop record label Sugar Hill. Interest in the group waned when acts like Run D.M.C. came onto the scene, so Moe Dee left the group and bowed out for a while. He used his time off to earn a bachelor's degree in communications from the State University of New York at Old Westbury on Long Island. "Rap is repetitious," Moe Dee was quoted as saying in the Encyclopedia of Popular Music. "It gets to the point where you wanna hear hard beats, then it goes back to where you wanna hear melodies. You just gotta be on the right vibe at the right time."

Moe Dee returned to the scene as a solo act with the underground hit "Go See the Doctor," which was produced by 17-year-old Teddy Riley. The single caught the attention of Jive Records, and Moe Dee released his successful debut album, I'm Kool Moe Dee, on the Jive label in 1986. Moe Dee sounded somewhat arrogant on his second release, How Ya Like Me Now, which followed a year later. The liner notes included a carefully constructed report card of 24 rappers of the time, and Moe Dee himself earned the best grades of all. The rapper earned his marks, however, when the album earned platinum status for record sales. His third album, Knowledge is King, was released in 1989 and went gold. Louis Farrakhan and Jesse Jackson are cited in the liner notes for their public speaking. Following the album's release, Moe Dee performed at the Grammy awards ceremony, becoming the first rapper to do so.

Moe Dee collaborated on "Self-Destruction," an anti-crime rap for the Stop the Violence Movement, an organization of rappers who believed they could, and should, be seen as role models. "[Rappers] are more effective reaching kids than Jesse Jackson because they're listening to us," Moe Dee said in an interview with USA Today. "They know our raps word for word. It's up to us to be role models and give something back to our community." Moe Dee also appeared on Quincy Jones's important Back on the Block album.

Feuded with L.L. Cool J

Despite his positive message, Moe Dee formed one-half of a bitter hip-hop rivalry with fellow rapper L.L. Cool J. The feud began in 1987, when the cover of How Ya Like Me Now? featured a Kangol hat--Cool J's trademark--being crushed under a Jeep tire. Two years later, after "Rapmania," a festive, all-star jam featured on pay-per-view, tensions appeared to have cooled. The two stars later had dueling releases when Cool J's Walking With a Panther and Moe Dee's Knowledge is King were on the charts at the same time. Moe Dee panned Cool J in "Let's Go," and Cool J returned the favor in his own "Jack the Ripper." When Cool J released the songs "To Da Break O' Dawn" and "Mama Said Knock You Out," Moe Dee took offense, and he claimed to Billboard that Cool J "took stabs at me in those songs."

Moe Dee came back in 1991 with the song "Death Blow," which he aimed at Cool J, and which was a street and radio hit, in no small part because of Cool J's popularity. "Because L.L. has blown up even more, people love it, they just want more," one record company executive told Billboard. "Kool Moe Dee is like a ... monkey on my back," Cool J said in a radio interview quoted by USA Today. He added, "He's contradicting himself. He always says he's so positive, but he's always tearing me down." Rolling Stone critic Alan Light agreed. Light considered "Death Blow" Moe Dee's only "serious misstep" on Funke, Funke Wisdom, one that seemed to "contradict the communal message he's trying to convey."

Moe Dee's 1990 EP, God Made Me Funkee, missed its mark. The release's lack of success suggested that Moe Dee had lost some of his edge, or became a little alienated from his roots, so the artist went back to the streets for inspiration for his next release, asking young rap fans what they thought was hot. Funke, Funke Wisdom, Moe Dee's 1991 release, was his fourth on the Jive label. The "last survivor of the first-generation 'old-school,'" as Rolling Stone critic Alan Light called him, was still pushing his socially conscious lessons, but was doing so with more attention to danceability on this release. The album featured samples from Sly and the Family Stone, P-Funk, James Brown, and the Average White Band.

"Funk is definitely necessary [to get serious points across]," Moe Dee told Billboard. "The idea is to entertain first. The new album is focused more toward making people dance." Light called the album "a return to the joyous words-for-word's sake looseness that powered hip-hop's early classics." Funke, Funke Wisdom's first single, "Rise 'N' Shine," featured legendary rappers KRS-One from Boogie Down Productions and Public Enemy's Chuck D. The success of the single built anticipation for the album's release and was a number-one hit on the rap charts for two weeks, but the album sales proved disappointing when compared to Moe Dee's earlier releases.

Moved From Music to Movies

Moe Dee, an avid writer of screenplays, once dreamed of launching a "black entertainment empire," he told GQ. He saw enormous potential as fellow rappers Ice T, Ice Cube, and L.L. Cool J began to make their names on the big screen. He set up a production company in the hopes of becoming the next Spike Lee or Quincy Jones. However, others went on to achieve his dream, and Moe Dee's recording career began to fade in the 1990s. A 1993 Greatest Hits album successfully documented some of rap's formative years and recaptured the era when Moe Dee was a king of rap. It was his last album for Jive, which dropped him after its release. Moe Dee came back with a Treacherous Three reunion album that year, and a solo release, Interlude, on the Wrap label in 1994.

While Moe Dee never got his idea of launching an entertainment production company off of the ground, he did eventually break onto the Hollywood scene. Starting in 1995, Moe Dee appeared in the Mario Van Peebles movie Panther, which explored the history of the Black Panther Party during the late 1960s and early 1970s. Since 1995, Moe Dee has continued to appear in small film roles in movies such as Gang Related, 1997; Storm Trooper, 1998; Cypress Edge, 1999; and Out Kold, 2001. His most recent role in the 2002 film The New Guy paired Moe Dee with other musicians such as Henry Rollins, Jermaine Dupri, Tommy Lee, Gene Simmons, and Vanilla Ice.

Works

Selected works

  • Albums
  • I'm Kool Moe Dee, Jive, 1986.
  • How Ya Like Me Now, Jive, 1987.
  • The Best, Jive, 1987.
  • Knowledge Is King, Jive, 1989.
  • God Made Me Funkee, Jive, 1990.
  • Funke, Funke Wisdom, Jive, 1991.
  • Greatest Hits, Jive, 1993.
  • Interlude, Wrap, 1994.
  • Jive Collection Series, Vol. 2, Jive, 1995.
  • Films
  • Panther, 1995.
  • Gang Related, 1997.
  • Storm Trooper, 1998.
  • Cypress Edge, 1999.
  • Brother, 2000.
  • Out Kold, 2001.
  • Crossroads, 2002.
  • The New Guy, 2002.

Further Reading

Books

  • Larkin, Colin, editor, Encyclopedia of Popular Music, Muze UK, Ltd., 1998.
Periodicals
  • Billboard, July 27, 1991, p. 18.
  • Boston Globe, August 13, 1989, p. A27.
  • Entertainment Weekly, February 21, 1992, p. 52; October 1, 1993, p. 56.
  • GQ, June 1991, p. 50.
  • New York Times, July 21, 1991, p. H25.
  • Rolling Stone, July 11, 1991, p. 108.
  • USA Today, August 22, 1989, p. 5D.
On-line
  • All Music Guide, http://www.allmusic.com (August 20, 2002).
  • Internet Movie Database, http://www.imdb.com (October 31, 2002).

— Brenna Sanchez

Gale Musician Profiles:

Kool Moe Dee

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Rap singer

In a review of Kool Moe Dee’s 1991 album Funke, Funke Wisdom, Rolling Stone’s Alan Light referred to the artist as "one of rap’s founding fathers." From the rapper’s pioneering work with the Treacherous Three in the early 1980s to his highly successful solo work, Kool Moe Dee has honed his distinctively hard-edged but stylish delivery and pursued his cherished theme of black independence. Poised between the mass market giants of pop-rap and the hardcore underground, he has for many years forged a middle path; he mixes political and social commentary with playful rhyming and dancefloor beats. "Funk is definitely necessary" to convey serious messages, he told Billboard. "The idea is to entertain first."

Moe was born Mohandas Dewese in Harlem, New York, in the early 1960s. He attended Norman Thomas High School in New York City and was an avid rapper as a teen; he started out, according to his Jive Records biography, "by grabbing the mike at house parties." His interest in rap grew out of a long-standing fascination with wordplay. "My group of friends growing up were considered, like, the outcasts of the neighborhood because we weren’t caught up in doing drugs and crime and things like that," he told Stephen Fried of GQ. "We were, like, the next step from a nerd. We weren’t bookworms, but we considered ourselves the intellectual street kids. We had fun with words. We used to like to show how much we knew. Our competition was over vocabulary. Throw a word in there, and see if anybody can respond. And if the person doesn’t respond correctly, it means he didn’t understand the word—or sometimes we’d overlook it and then run home and look it up." He added that he "was fascinated with words. [Illustrator and rhyme-obsessed author] Dr. Suess, The Cat in the Hat, was phenomenal to me at 5 or 6. [Former heavyweight boxing champion] Muhammad Ali [was, too], not just because of the way he boxed but his poetic style. Loved that stuff."

Began Recording as a Teenager
Moe formed the rap group Treacherous Three with his friends L.A. Sunshine and Special K. Theǀtrio debuted on Spoonie Gee’s 1980 Enjoy Records single "The New Rap Language." Harry Allen, introducing Moe’s testimonial in the Village Voice, called the single "a futuristic record that showed the lyrical and percussive possibilities of hip-hop right up your auditory canal." Treacherous Three soon began to generate excitement with

singles like 1981’s "Bodyrock" and "Heartbeat." Soon they were signed to Sugarhill Records, the home of some of the guiding lights of early rap. They released a number of singles, including "Action" and "Yes We Can," showcasing their skill as complex rhymesters. Soon, though, their style was eclipsed by the emergence of hardcore rap; groups like Run-DMC and Whodini captivated audiences with a tougher, simpler style. Moe left the Three—and the music world, for a time—and attended the State University of New York at Old Westbury, Long Island, earning a B.A. in communications.

He couldn’t stay away from rap for long, however. His solo single "Go See the Doctor," a wry cautionary rhyme about sexual promiscuity, appeared on Rooftop Records and caught the attention of Jive/RCA. The company bought Kool Moe Dee’s self-titled debut album and released it in 1986. "Moe Dee’s style is slack-jawed and straight-faced, laced with menace," observed Lloyd Richards of Melody Maker. "There’s something disturbing in his voice," Richards remarked, suggesting that "Go See the Doctor" might have misled listeners into expecting more "goofy" rap. He chided Moe for the apparent misogyny of certain tracks; the album, he concluded, is "psycho rap for stranglers in the night."

Second Album Went Platinum
Moe’s first effort after signing with Jive, How Ya Like Me Now?, was his big breakthrough. It went platinum and marked the beginning of Moe’s feud with fellow rapper L.L. Cool J. The two have exchanged lyrical blows intermittently ever since. Fried noted that on the inner sleeve of the record, "he arrogantly offered his own report card on the industry. Grading on the Kool Moe Dee curve, the rapper rated himself and twenty-four of his competitors in ten categories (including vocabulary, articulation and ’sticking to themes’), assigning final scores that—what a surprise—mathematically proved him to be first in his class."

How Ya Like Me Now? was a hard act to follow, but Kool Moe Dee reemerged in 1989 with Knowledge Is King, a solid success in its own right though not as big a smash as its predecessor. Knowledge includes the single "I Go to Work," produced by hip-hop wizard Teddy Riley; Alan Light of Rolling Stone called the song "stunning." While much of the album devotes itself to issues of black autonomy and political power, "I Go to Work" is a straightforward boast—albeit one that gives Moe the chance to stretch out lyrically: "Every rhyme’s a dissertation/You wanna know my occupation?/I get paid to rock the nation." Nelson George of the Village Voice noted that calling Knowledge Moe’s best album "isn’t saying much," but added, "Everything on the first half of Knowledge hits hard, along with one solid uppercut in the second," even if the album overall "sounds too clean."

"Socially Conscious Rapper"
Fried remarked in GQ that Knowledge "may not have been the most politically important rap record in the year of Public Enemy’s ’Fight the Power,’ but it was arguably the most accomplished in terms of balancing lyrics, music and performance.’ He added that the record sold 625, 000 copies—still impressive though markedly less so than the 950,000 copies of How Ya Like Me Now? The year of Knowledge Is King, Kool Moe Dee became—according to his press biography—the first rap artist ever to perform at the Grammy awards. Billboards Janine McAdams observed that Kool Moe Dee "has aligned himself with the new breed of socially conscious rappers. The title track of the new album is the clearest evidence of that commitment." Moe’s other activities included voiceovers for TV commercials and an appearance on The Arsenio Hall Show.

In 1990 Moe released an unsuccessful EP called God Made Me Funke; he also shared rapping duties with Ice-T and rap trailblazer Melle Mel on the title track of composer-producer Quincy Jones’s album Back on the Block. As part of his commitment to improving conditions in the black community, Moe rapped on the gold charity single "Self-Destruction" for the Stop the Violence project organized by rapper-activist KRS-One of Boogie Down Productions and contributed a short prose piece to the project’s book Stop the Violence: Overcoming Self-Destruction. In his essay he addresses the issue of black-on-black violence, particularly at rap concerts. "The violence is not caused by rap fans," he insists. "It’s caused by bandits who come to prey on young kids who are there to enjoy the show." He also asserts that "rap artists are into something besides making money. It’s at the point where we’re trying to show that we really care about the fans, and not just the fans but the black community, because that’s where rap music is generated from, and for. We think that because we have this spotlight and the attention of youth we can utilize this to become young black leaders, so to speak, since they don’t have any real positive images to identify with." His rap on the STV record was even more to the point: "I never had to run from the Ku Klux Klan/And I shouldn’t have to run from a black man."

Re-emerged with Funke, Funke Wisdom
According to Havelock Nelson of Billboard, Moe "went back to the streets for inspiration" after God Made Me Funke faltered. "I’m a perfectionist," he admitted to McAdams. "I think speaking is an art form in itself. [My style is] a way to ride and accent certain parts of a sentence to make it stick. I think a lot of rappers just rap to go through it, while I’m thinking: What message am I trying to get across? What’s the most important part of this sentence? I’m always trying to take myself to another level lyrically."

He found his next level with 1991’s Funke, Funke Wisdom. Relying on samples from funk standbys like James Brown, Parliament, and Sly and the Family Stone, Funke, Funke Wisdom places the emphasis on dance rhythms even as it broaches social issues. Moe is joined by KRS-One and Public Enemy rapper Chuck D. for the track "Rise ’n’ Shine," while he has another go at L.L. Cool J with "Deathblow." Jive executive Barry Weiss told Nelson that "Rise ’n’ Shine" was first released as a video, then as a single, before the album’s release. It went to number one on the Hot Rap Singles chart. "People at street level and at retail were screaming for the record" by that time, he said. "At its best," Light opined, Funke, Funke Wisdom "marks a return to the joyous words-for-words’-sake looseness that powered hip-hop’s early classics." Light found "Deathblow" the only real flaw on the album, continuing as it does "a rivalry which grew tired long ago." According to Fried, Funke, Funke Wisdom "will neither incite inner-city youth to riot nor further suburbanize rap music. Nor will it likely be compared to the hardest-cutting edge of rap—Public Enemy, Ice Cube, N.W.A.—which has been embraced by critics as the new punk rock. But it will, once again, walk the fine line between political and musical correctness—balancing message and music, function and fun."

Kool Moe Dee found his niche with this balancing act. A quote in his biography offers a key to his longevity: "The only reason I can say that I’m still around today, is because unlike other old school rappers, I pay attention to what people like. I make music for them. You can’t get caught up in yourself." That may be, but he has also survived because—as both Light and George have observed—he has focused on himself; his playful raps have often been a celebration of his own prowess. After all, the second single on Funke, Funke Wisdom asks the musical question "How Kool Can One Black Man Be?"

Selected discography

Singles; with the Treacherous Three
"The New Rap Language," Enjoy, 1980.
"Bodyrock," Enjoy, 1981.
"Heartbeat," Enjoy, 1981.
"Action," Sugarhill.
"Yes We Can," Sugarhill.

Solo releases
"Go See the Doctor" (single), Rooftop, 1985.
Kool Moe Dee, Jive/RCA, 1986.
How Ya Like Me Now?, Jive/RCA, 1987.
Knowledge Is King(includes "I Go to Work"), Jive/RCA, 1989.
"God Made Me Funke" (single), Jive/RCA, 1990.
Funke, Funke Wisdom(includes "Rise ’n’ Shine" and "How Kool Can One Black Man Be?"), Jive/RCA, 1991.
Contributor to Stop the Violence project single "Self-Destruction," Jive/RCA, 1989; Quincy Jones’s Back on the Block, Qwest/Warner Bros., 1990; and Zebrahead soundtrack, Ruffhouse, 1992.

Sources
Books
Stop the Violence: Overcoming Self-Destruction, edited by Nelson George, Pantheon, 1990.


Periodicals
Billboard, July 22, 1989; July 27, 1991.
GQ, June 1991.
Melody Maker, January 24, 1987.
Rolling Stone, July 11, 1991.
Village Voice, August 1, 1989; January 2, 1990.
Additional information for this profile was obtained from a Jive/RCA press biography, May 1991.
AMG AllMusic Guide: Pop Artists:

Kool Moe Dee

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  • Genres: Rap

Biography

A member of one of the original hip-hop crews, Treacherous Three, Kool Moe Dee later became a solo star in his own right in 1986 by teaming with a teenaged Teddy Riley (later famed as the king of new jack swing) on the crossover hit "Go See the Doctor." The single earned him a contract with Jive Records, for which he recorded three successful late-'80s albums, dominated by his skillful speed-raps. A long-running feud with LL Cool J -- who stole his aggressive stance and rapping style, he claims -- gained Kool Moe Dee headlines for awhile, but he began to fade by the early '90s.

Born Mohandas Dewese in 1963, Dee was an early hit at local block parties, performing with high-school buddies L.A. Sunshine and Special K plus DJ Easy Lee as Treacherous Three. Introduced to longtime producer Bobby Robinson (Gladys Knight, the Orioles) by Spoonie Gee, Treacherous Three debuted on wax in 1980 with "The New Rap Language," released on Robinson's Enjoy Records. "Body Rock" and "Feel the Heartbeat" followed during 1980-1981 before Robinson sold the group's contract to Sugar Hill Records. Treacherous Three recorded several singles for Sugar Hill, but broke up by the mid-'80s.

Instead of climbing aboard the solo wagon after the breakup, Kool Moe Dee enrolled in college. After earning a communications degree from SUNY, he enlisted an unknown producer for his solo debut, "Go See the Doctor." The 17-year-old Teddy Riley more than vindicated himself, though, and the single became an underground hit. By 1986, Kool Moe Dee was signed to Jive Records, and his self-titled debut album appeared that same year.

With 1987's How Ya Like Me Now, Dee struck back at the brash young generation who had forsaken their forebears; the cover featured a red Kangol hat -- the prominent trademark of LL Cool J -- being crushed by the wheel of a Jeep. The album went platinum and was followed two years later by the gold-certified Knowledge Is King, for which Dee became the first rapper to perform at the Grammy Awards ceremonies. Also in 1989, Dee worked on two important projects: the single "Self-Destruction," recorded in conjunction with KRS-One's Stop the Violence Movement; and Quincy Jones' all-star Back on the Block LP, which united hip-hop stars with their musical forebears.

Kool Moe Dee's fourth album, Funke Funke Wisdom was a bit of a disappointment when compared to his earlier successes, and Jive/RCA dropped him after releasing his Greatest Hits package in 1993. Hardly washed up, though, Dee recorded a Treacherous 3 reunion album in 1993 and signed to DJ Easy Lee's label for the 1994 album Interlude. The title wasn't quite prophetic, however, it being his last album. ~ John Bush, Rovi
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Kool Moe Dee

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Kool Moe Dee
Birth name Mohandas Dewese
Born (1962-08-08) August 8, 1962 (age 49)
Origin New York City, New York, United States
Genres Hip-hop, new jack swing
Years active 1976—present
Labels Jive/BMG Records

Mohandas Dewese (born August 8, 1962), better known as Kool Moe Dee, is an American hip hop MC prominent in the late 1970s through the early 1990s. He was one of the first rappers to earn a Grammy Award and was the first rapper to perform at the Grammys.

Contents

Early life

Dewese was born in Manhattan, New York City. He attended Norman Thomas High School on 33rd and Park Avenue in New York City. He had a reputation for being a quiet eccentric young man, frequently holding a pen and paper to write his rhymes.

Early career

In the late 1970s, Kool Moe Dee met Special K, DJ Easy Lee, and LA Sunshine to form the influential old school hip hop group the Treacherous Three on Enjoy Records. It was with The Treacherous Three in 1981 that Kool Moe Dee performed his freestyle onstage roast of old school party rapper Busy Bee Starski, a performance frequently cited as a pivotal moment in the development of the battle rap.[1] In 1981, they moved to Sugar Hill Records along with another Enjoy Records act Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five. The Treacherous Three became well known for their singles "Feel the Heart Beat" and "Whip It". They were featured in the 1984 breakdance movie Beat Street, performing the song "Xmas Rap" with Doug E. Fresh but disbanded shortly afterwards.

Solo career

In 1985, the Treacherous Three disbanded, with each member pursuing solo careers. After leaving the group, Kool Moe Dee attended the State University of New York at Old Westbury, where he received a degree in communications. In 1986, he went solo, releasing a self-titled album that ranked 83 on Billboard. He co-operated with the young producer Teddy Riley which contributed greatly to the New Jack Swing movement that would gain popularity in the years to follow.

Kool Moe Dee released his second album, How Ya Like Me Now which was his most successful album commercially, achieving platinum status. He then went on to release his third album, Knowledge Is King in 1989, which went gold. The single from this album "I Go To Work" has been considered[who?] to be the pinnacle of his work, with high speed delivery and superior lyrical content.

In 1990 he performed on Quincy Jones' album Back on the Block along with fellow rappers Melle Mel, Big Daddy Kane and Ice-T. The album gained considerable critical and financial success and winning the 1991 Grammy Award for Album of the Year.

In 1991, the release of his album Funke, Funke Wisdom signaled Kool Moe Dee's decline. Moe Dee himself has stated that this was his worst album.[citation needed] He induced his release from Jive Records in 1992. After a two year lay off, he released his greatest hits album which gained some of his former success and acclaim. In 1994, his album Interlude was released and failed to gain Moe Dee much of his former success on the mid '80s.

In 1993, he re-united with his fellow ex members of the Treacherous Three to release the album Old School Flava on DJ EasyLee's record label Ichiban. His last commercial release was the single "Love Love/What You Wanna Do" which was released onSpoiled Brat Entertainment inc'.

Feud with LL Cool J

Main article: LL Cool J vs. Kool Moe Dee feud

Kool Moe Dee conducted a long-running rivalry with fellow New York rapper LL Cool J. Along with other rappers such as MC Shan, Kool Moe Dee claimed that LL had stolen their rap styles. He also felt that LL was disrespecting the reigning MCs at the time, himself, Melle Mel and Grandmaster Caz by proclaiming that he was the greatest without paying due respects to those who came before him. He challenged LL on his platinum selling album How Ya Like Me Now on the single of the same name. He also took a shot at LL by appearing on the album cover with a jeep in the background with the wheel crushing one of LL's trademark red Kangol hats. The feud persisted, with both MCs proclaiming themselves the victor.

Other appearances

Kool Moe Dee appeared on Will Smith's #1 pop hit "Wild Wild West" from Smith's 1999 motion picture, Wild Wild West, on which he re-performs the chorus to his 1988 single also named "Wild Wild West".

In 2003, he authored a book called There's a God on the Mic (ISBN 1-56025-533-1), which breaks down his 50 favorite MCs in terms of originality, concepts, versatility, vocabulary, substance, flow, flavor, freestyle, vocal presence, live performance, poetic value, body of work, industry impact, social impact, longevity, lyrics and battle skills, where he ranked himself as number #5, ahead of MCs such as The GZA, and Tupac Shakur. He placed LL Cool J at #7, despite their past disputes and rivalry, even referring to LL as an "unbreakable master".

In 2007, Kool Moe Dee appeared on the remix of Nas' "Where are They Now", with fellow old school rap artists. He released some new tracks and a video on his MySpace page to accompany one of the songs. He also appeared on the Ice-T track "Fight Club" and re-recorded several of his more popular songs.

In 2008, he began hosting SpitFire with Kool Mo Dee, an internet hip hop talk show. The show contains discussion on issues relating to both hip hop culture and general issues that affect the world. Each show has a different panel of guests, including Xzibit, Melle Mel, Grandmaster Caz, DMC, and many others.

In an interview with House of Hiphop, Kool Moe Dee stated that he would be releasing a new album in 2009.[2] He has also confirmed that he is releasing a new album in an interview with Davey D on 9 October where he stated that he has "cracked what should be expected from a 40 plus MC".[3]

Acting career

Kool Moe Dee had a brief cameo appearance in the movie Wild Style and appeared in the film Beat Street with the Treacherous Three and Doug E. Fresh. Since then, he has appeared in a total of 17 movies and TV shows as an actor and 21 as himself. He portrayed a bartender in the Britney Spears feature film Crossroads.

Discography

Main article: Kool Moe Dee discography

Appeared on

References

  1. ^ A Bridge Between Two Eras: Kool Moe Dee as the Sole Survivor, epinions.com
  2. ^ "Hip Hop je dagelijkse dosis op House of Hip Hop". Houseofhiphop.nl. http://www.houseofhiphop.nl/?action=VIEW_MORE&ID=147. Retrieved 2012-05-26. 
  3. ^ "Meet Kool Moe Dee on Davey D TV". YouTube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iw-qqWNU8Og. Retrieved 2012-05-26. 

External links


This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

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