Sporty Thievz was a Yonkers, New York hip-hop group, originally a trio, composed of King Kirk (a.k.a. Thieven Stealberg), Big Dubez (a.k.a. Safecracker) and Marlon Brando (a.k.a. Robin Hood). [1]They are notable for their parody of TLC's hit "No Scrubs" entitled "No Pigeons", which attempted to tell things from the male perspective, and for their song "Hit It Up" on the soundtrack to The Best Man. They are also known for satirically providing a male counterpoint to the female-oriented R'n'B music popularised in the late 1990s and early 2000s, something that was not done by any other group at the time. But despite the parody the group have been acknowledged for their lyrical skill, also making other notable hits such as "Cheapskate", which also has a music video and released under Ruffhouse Records.
In 1998, their album Street Cinema was released on Roc-A-Bloc/Ruffhouse records. The majority of the production was handled by Ski, famous for his work on Jay-Z's Reasonable Doubt. It was critically-acclaimed but was not well-received commercially. It had a unique concept in which every track had its own storyline that was a good premise for a movie.
They did not get much airplay until the single "No Pigeons" was released, which hit #21 in the UK and stayed on the charts for six weeks. Street Cinema was re-released with "No Pigeons" appearing as a bonus track.
In an attempt to capitalize, Sporty Thievz also released a rebutals to Destiny's Child's hits "Bills, Bills, Bills" (written by the same songwriter as "No Scrubs", Kandi Burruss) and "Independent Women". The rebuttal to Bills, Bills, Bills, is entitled "No Billz (Why, Why, Why?)" (a.k.a. No Bills, Bills, Bills), in which the group "humorously" question "Why we gotta spend, because we men?". In the "Independent Women" rebuttal "Independent Men" they consider the unfairness of child support, stating "She won't let me see my seed acting like it's funny, She gettin' her hair done with that diaper money".
On May 11, 2001, group member Marlon Brando was tragically killed after being struck by a car in North Bronx at the age of 22. It is reported that the driver of the car was intoxicated and swerving onto the sidewalk. Marlon Brando is believed to have saved a bystanding girl's life by pushing her out of the way. Since then, Sporty Thievz have been on hiatus. They are recording a follow-up to Street Cinema called Street Cinema 2 or Reincarnated, which will be coming soon under their label, Sporty Records.
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