J. J. Fad

J.J. Fad
Company type	Music group
Industry	Hip hop music
Founded	1985
Headquarters	Rialto, California, United States
Products	Music albums and singles

J.J. Fad is a female rap ensemble originating from Rialto, California. Initially, the group's name was derived from the members' first names ('Juana, Juanita, Fatima, Anna, and Dania), but it was later reinterpreted to mean Just Jammin', Fresh and Def.^[1] Supported by DJ Train (Clarence Lars), the group attracted early recognition within the hip hop community.

Formation

Established in 1985 as a five-member group—Juana Burns (MC J.B.), Dania Birks (Baby-D), Anna Cash (Lady Anna), Fatima Shaheed (O.G. Rocker), and Juanita Lee (Crazy J.)—J.J. Fad was among the pioneering artists signed to Ruthless Records by Eazy-E. Prior to their official Ruthless signing, this lineup released the single "Anotha Ho" with "Supersonic" as its B-side in 1987, produced by Arabian Prince and distributed through Dream Team Records.

Supersonic

After encountering managerial and financial conflicts, Cash, Shaheed, and Lee departed from the group. The remaining members, Burns and Birks, recruited Michelle Franklin (Sassy C.) along with DJ Train and proceeded to re-record and reissue "Supersonic" in 1988 as the lead track, once again produced by Arabian Prince. This single independently sold 400,000 copies before Eazy-E and Jerry Heller secured a major-label deal with Atco Records.

Their album Supersonic, produced by Dr. Dre, DJ Yella, with co-production from Arabian Prince, incorporated electro influences that expanded their reach beyond conventional West Coast rap audiences.

Both the "Supersonic" single and album earned gold certification in 1988; by mid-1992, the album had attained double platinum status in the United States.^[2] The group estimates domestic single sales at approximately one million copies, although this figure has not been officially certified.^[3]

Not Just a Fad

Building on the momentum of Eazy-E and Heller’s success with N.W.A, J.J. Fad released their sophomore album Not Just a Fad in 1991. Produced by Arabian Prince—who had exited Ruthless in 1989—and DJ Yella, with executive production by Eazy-E, the album failed to achieve commercial success, resulting in the group's dissolution shortly thereafter. DJ Train tragically died in 1994 due to smoke inhalation.

Subsequent years

After nearly twenty years away from the music scene focusing on personal lives, the original trio of J.J. Fad reunited for performances at old-school and freestyle music events.

In 2004, MF Doom sampled the beatboxing introduction from the 1988 "Supersonic" video for his track "Jasmine Blossoms," which was later sampled again in "Hoe Cakes" from his album Mm.. Food. In 2006, Fergie incorporated elements of "Supersonic" into her hit single "Fergalicious."

The song "Supersonic" was included in the 2012 music rhythm game Dance Central 3, which J.J. Fad actively promoted via social media platforms.

Despite some media acknowledging their role in paving the way for N.W.A's rise, J.J. Fad's story was notably excluded from the 2015 biographical film Straight Outta Compton.

The second trailer for the 2020 film Sonic the Hedgehog featured "Supersonic."

Studio albums

Compilation of studio albums including notable chart rankings and certifications
Album Title	Album Information	Highest Chart Positions		Certifications
Album Title	Album Information	US	US R&B/HH	Certifications
Supersonic	Release date: July 5, 1988 Record label: Ruthless/Atco Available formats: CD, LP, cassette, digital download, streaming	49	20	RIAA: Gold certification
Not Just a Fad	Release date: December 7, 1990 Label: Ruthless Formats offered: CD, LP, cassette, digital download, streaming	—	—
"—" indicates albums that did not enter the charts or were unavailable in the specified region.

As lead artist

Overview of singles with notable chart rankings, certifications, release year, and associated album
Single Title	Release Year	Highest Chart Positions			Certifications	Associated Album
Single Title	Release Year	US	US Dance	US R&B	Certifications	Associated Album
"Anotha Ho"	1987	—	—	—		Template:N/A
"Supersonic"	1988	30	10	22	RIAA: Gold certification	Supersonic
"Way Out"		61	—	51
"Is It Love"		92	—	—
"We in the House"	1990	—	—	—		Not Just a Fad
"Be Good Ta Me"	1991	—	—	—		Not Just a Fad
"Supersonic (Re-Recorded/Remastered)"	2009	—	—	—		Hip Hop Soundtrack To The Concrete Jungle

Highlighted Singles

Compilation of notable singles with selected peak chart rankings
Song Title	Release Year	Highest Chart Positions					Certifications	Source Album
Song Title	Release Year	US	US R&B	US Rap	Australia	New Zealand	Certifications	Source Album
"We're All in the Same Gang" (credited to The West Coast Rap All-Stars)	1990	35	10	1	106	11	RIAA: Gold	We're All in the Same Gang
"Fellas" (Ozomatli featuring J. J. Fad and Lisa Lisa)	2021	—	—	—	—	—		Marching On
A dash ("—") indicates the track did not chart or was not released in that region.

Appearances as Guest Artists

Catalogue of guest features excluding singles, listing collaborating artists, release year, and album title
Track Name	Year Released	Collaborating Artist(s)	Album Title
"Comin' Correct"	1989	—	Coming to America Soundtrack

↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named bio
↑ RIAA Gold and Platinum Program
↑ Layli Phillips et al., Journal of African American History, 2005.

[bio-1] Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named bio

[2] RIAA Gold and Platinum Program

[3] Layli Phillips et al., Journal of African American History, 2005.

[1]

[2]

[3]