There is so much more to Brooklyn, New York than meets the front page of the news. Long considered a breeding ground for crime, corruption, and untamed youth, the borough’s contributions to the world of music and culture have traditionally gone without notice– but they are there. Just think hip hop, and the names will begin rush into consciousness like a brain-freeze on a balmy summer afternoon: Special Ed, Notorious B.I.G., Jay-Z, M.O.P., DJ Premier, Mos Def
, and of course, that army battalion-load of emcees known as the Boot Camp Clik.
The Cocoa Brovaz,Tek and Steele, are more than just survivors of this diverse and musically prolific environment; they are survivors of an industry that values the fattening of pockets above all else. Despite an early career rooted in critical and commercial success, the duo’s future would forever be altered by one key axiom: in the business of music, don’t nothing move but the money. Appearing under the name, Smif-N-Wessun, Tek and Steele’s first-ever recorded experience dates back to fellow ‘Bucktown’ representatives and Boot Camp members, Black Moon’s stellar LP, 1993’s Enta da Stage. Textured with the murky, dungeon-core production of Da Beatminerz, and crackling with the flavor of a reggae vocal long-forgotten, the collaboration would set the stage for the unique blend of sound clash street-speak which was to follow. And follow it did– nearly 2 years later, when the fast-rising pair dropped their groundbreaking Dah Shinin’ debut on Nervous Records. Acclaimed by both hip-hop and pop press alike, the record would feature an abundance of single-worthy cuts, including the now-classics, “Sound Bwoy Buriel”, “Stand Strong”, and “Bucktown.”And the fans liked it too, copping enough copies during its opening week to ensure both a #1 slot on Billboard’s Rap Album chart and #3 debut on its R&B measure– impressive stats for a new artist release in any genre.
“Dah Shinin’ was an era when hip-hop was just coming back from the West to the hardcore streets of New York, and you were proud to be a fan of it…that was kind of a renaissance time,” recalls Steele of the group’s first effort. But the release of Dah Shinin’ did more than just expand the musical catalogue of its producers, Da Beatminerz and extend the profile of its patois-speakin’, ganja-tokin’ authors, Tek and Steele; it also solidified residential crew, Boot Camp Clik as one of the game’s most explosive and prolific new rhyming factions.
Although the acclaim would continue to pour in long after the debut’s release, the accompanying honeymoon of high spirits would come to a screeching halt. In a move that both members feel was motivated by politics, ignorance, and jealousy, Tek and Steele would be forced to surrender the name, “Smif-N-Wessun” to a gun company who cited confusion amongst its customer base. Tek makes no effort to mince words, laying out his feelings of anger and embitterment in a future rhyme: “sent me multi-page contracts just to prove it/with trademarks on belt buckles, shirts and knives/ain’t that the most off the wall shit you hear in your life?” But the legal woes did not end there. The close of the name suit was met by another- an ugly, drawn out dispute which eventually forced the group to take leave of their first label home in search of greener, less ’shady’ pastures.
“We had to sit back and look at everything that was going on and realize this is a business,” reiterates Steele. “We jumped into this as a youth, just ready to get on, write rhymes and see the world. We wasn’t thinkin’ about business. We were thinking about having some fun and getting G’s. We learned that with fame comes responsibility.”Following up a period spent unduly far from a studio, the duo’s opportunity to record its much-anticipated sophomore LP, Rude Awakening in 1998 served as both a sounding board for its ever-evolving musical vibe and group therapy session through which to vent its feelings towards corporate hip-hop. The Rude Awakening was the first release for Tek and Steeles on the crews owned and operated Duck Down Enterprizes, and one of several Boot Camp Clik projects to bear the tag of newfound distributor, Priority Records. But most significantly of all, the album would also represent the artists’ first venture under newly adopted name, Cocoa Brovaz.
With their creative freedom back in hand, Tek and Steele settled back into the familiar task of making music. But rather than succumb to the pressures of convention, the pair elected to focus on singles and guest appearances in place of putting together it’s third album. Recounts Steele: “around this time, the game changed drastically. Cats started putting out albums two at a time. There was no more taking your time with your work, it (became) beat the next mutha fucka out with the hits. In that time we just coasted, put out a song here, a song there.”During this 3-year period, the Cocoa Brovaz dropped vocals on a variety of different projects, both Boot Camp-inclusive and otherwise, the most notable of which was an underground single called “Super Brooklyn.” Although the group was never able to receive clearance of the song’s sample (which was appropriated from the video game classic, Super Mario Bros ) in order to give it the release that it deserved, the cut did generate a significant amount of buzz worldwide, becoming a fixture in the nightclubs and on the hard drives of MP3 fiends everywhere. Other notable contributions range from Bounty Killer’s “It’s a Party”, to Black Moon’s “Frame”, to Da Beatminerz’ “Extreme Situations.”Though the writing had been inscribed on the wall for some time, Duck Down Enterprisez would dissolve whatever threads remained of its relationship with distributor, Priority in early 2000. However, even without a major distribution deal in hand, the unit’s hard-earned respect and proven ability to sell units would permit them to pursue the quality of options that most unsigned artists could not. One such option came not too long after the success of “Super Brooklyn”, when the opportunity to submit a cut to Rawkus Records’ Lyricist Lounge Vol.2 became available.
Released as the LP’s second single and produced by Cincinnati’s Hi-Tek, the product of this working relationship with Rawkus was “Get Up”, a popular club effort which helped vault the release to seldom-achieved gold certification. Deciding that the timing and conditions were favorable, the Cocoa Brovaz along with their label Duck Down Records would agree to release their third LP, tentatively titled Still Shinin’ through a joint venture with the Rawkus label shortly thereafter.
In addition to the familiar and always effective crate-work of Da Beatminerz, the album will also feature the eclectic and disparately dope stylings of Pete Rock, Easy Mo Bee, Rick Rock, and Tha Liks’ E-Swift। Says Steele: “this album makes me feel more comfortable than the last album because (on) the last album we really had to start from scratch. It was a big step for us going from Nervous to our own venture.” “That’s why the album is titled Still Shinin’, he continues. “We want the fans to know that we in tuned with their wants, desires, and needs. ” But he adds: “I wanted to call it ‘Smif-N-Wessun.’ I’m still fighting for that name there.”
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