Stetsasonic

Stetsasonic is an American hip hop group formed in 1979 in Brooklyn, New York City, New York. It is remembered as one of the first hip hop crews to use a live band, and the group's positive, uplifting lyrics made it forerunners of alternative hip hop and jazz hip hop.

Members

*DBC (Devastating Beat Creator)

History

Originally, the group was known as The Stetson Brothers, after Stetson hats. There were three MCs, the Human Mix Machine, and Prince Paul. The Stetson Brothers changed its name and style to Stetsasonic the Hip-Hop Band and clinched a deal with Tommy Boy Records when DBC came up with and played the funky bassline for its debut single "If You Can't Say It All Just Say STET", live for Tom Silverman, owner of Tommy Boy Records. After a few months of the single being in regular rotation on radio stations everywhere, they released their first album On Fire (1986). The album received mixed reviews, though the follow-ups, In Full Gear and Blood, Sweat & No Tears were critically acclaimed. A 1988 New York Times article said that the group mirrored the rise of artistic, profound rap music: "While pop's political commentary often seems secondary to catchy melodies and commercial acceptability, rap's tough sound sharpens its commentary". As a "hip hop band", dependent on instruments as well as turntables, the group was also known for live shows, though sometimes the "rap-show format prevented Stetsasonic from employing the band instrumentation and studio layering that make their records so distinctive."

All That

All That is an American live-action, sketch comedy-variety show created by Brian Robbins and Mike Tollin, which originally aired on the Nickelodeon cable television network from April 16, 1994, to October 22, 2005, lasting ten seasons. The series was produced by Tollin/Robbins Productions (later Schneider's Bakery during the final season). The pilot episode originally was shown as a special "sneak peek", with the show officially debuting a regular series on December 24, 1994.

The series features original short comedic sketches and weekly musical guests aimed toward a younger audience. The show's sketches parody contemporary culture and are performed by a large and varying cast of child and teen actors. Early episodes were taped at Nickelodeon Studios at Universal Orlando, but then moved to Hollywood at the Nickelodeon On Sunset theatre (formerly the Earl Carrol Theatre), where other Nickelodeon shows such as The Amanda Show, Kenan & Kel, and Drake & Josh were also filmed.

In 2000, after six seasons the show was put on hiatus to be retooled and was relaunched in early 2002 with a completely new cast. Four more seasons were produced before the show was ultimately cancelled. On April 23, 2005, Nickelodeon celebrated the 10th anniversary of All That. The special reunited cast members from both the original and relaunch eras of the show and several other special guest stars in an one-hour event.

All That Jazz

All That Jazz may refer to:

All That Jazz may also refer to:

In music:

In TV and radio:

See also

In Full Gear

In Full Gear is the second studio album by American hip hop band Stetsasonic, released in 1988 by Tommy Boy Records.

Music and lyrics

In Full Gear is a double album that draws on various influences in its hip hop style, including R&B, jazz, dancehall reggae, and rock influences. It also incorporates beat-boxing, sampling technology, and live band performance. "Freedom or Death" and "Talkin' All That Jazz" discuss credos of revolution and sampling, respectively. On "Float On", a remake of The Floaters' 1977 song of the same name, rapper Wise envisions "a woman with a realistic imagination, a woman who thinks for herself, whose thoughts are bold and free".

Critical reception

In a contemporary review for The Village Voice, music critic Robert Christgau found the "well-meaning" band merely competent musically and said that their cover of "Float On" is "even ickier than the original". He was more enthusiastic about "Freedom or Death" and "Talking All That Jazz", and felt that In Full Gear succeeds on "a camaraderie that reaches deeper than the usual homeboy bonding". In his own list for the Pazz & Jop critics poll, Christgau named "Talkin' All That Jazz" the seventeenth best single of 1988.