Stetsasonic
| Company type | Hip hop ensemble |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1981 |
| Headquarters | Brooklyn, New York City , United States |
| Products | Music albums, singles, live performances |
Stetsasonic is a hip hop ensemble originating from Brooklyn, New York City, established in 1981. They were pioneers in incorporating a full live band and real instruments into hip hop performances, setting a precedent that influenced future acts such as The Roots. Their music fused elements of beat-boxing, sampling, and live instrumentation, combining genres like R&B, jazz, dancehall reggae, and rock. Stetsasonic is also credited as one of the forerunners of the jazz rap movement.
Despite rumors suggesting the group disbanded in 1991 following their third album, Blood, Sweat & No Tears, Stetsasonic has continued their musical journey with ongoing recordings and performances. This is evidenced by their participation in the 2019 Urban Matterz Hip Hop Festival and the release of the track "People In The Neighborhood". Individual members have explored solo ventures while remaining connected to the band. Notably, Frukwan and Prince Paul co-established the Gravediggaz, and Prince Paul along with Daddy-O have gained recognition as influential producers.
History
Initially known as The Stetsasonic 3 MC's, the lineup consisted of Daddy-O, Delite, and Crown Supreme. Later, Daddy-O and Delite transformed the group into Stetsasonic the Hip-Hop Band by adding Wise The Human Mix Machine, Prince Paul (the Devastating Beat Creator or DBC), drummer Bobby Simmons, and replacing Crown Supreme with Frukwan. Their signing with Tommy Boy Records came after DBC impressed Tommy Boy’s owner by performing the bassline live for their debut single "If You Can't Say It All Just Say STET". Their debut album On Fire released in 1986 received varied critiques, whereas subsequent albums In Full Gear and Blood, Sweat & No Tears were met with critical praise.
A 1988 article in The New York Times highlighted the band's contribution to enhancing rap's artistic depth alongside its gritty sound. Renowned for their live shows that integrated both instruments and turntables, Stetsasonic encountered difficulties replicating their complex studio arrangements during performances on stage.
Frukwan and Prince Paul went on to form the Gravediggaz. Daddy-O pursued a solo path and produced for artists including Freestyle Fellowship, Mary J. Blige, Positive K, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Prince Paul was also a producer for De La Soul. Drummer Bobby Simmons created the public access program Flava Videos in the mid-1990s and appeared on FOX’s Beat Shazam in 2017. MC Delite holds the position of President and CEO at Flight Entertainment. DBC contributed production work for Third World and Cookie Crew before founding Raw Beat Productions studio in Philadelphia; he later innovated the MN-1 Advanced Portable Power System, a device focused on sustainable energy solutions.
Wise lent his beatbox talents to commercials such as those for Campbell's Soup and appeared in the documentary Breath Control: the History of the Human Beat Box, which was featured at the Tribeca Film Festival alongside artists like Doug E. Fresh and Biz Markie.
In 2020, Stetsasonic released "(Now Ya'll Givin' Up) Love" and announced an upcoming album entitled Here We Go Again.
Studio albums
| Album Title | Release Information | Highest Chart Positions | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US R&B /Hip-Hop |
UK Dance | |||
| On Fire |
|
32 | — | |
| In Full Gear |
|
20 | 34 | |
| Blood, Sweat & No Tears |
|
75 | — | |
| Here We Go Again |
|
- | — | |
| "—" indicates albums that did not chart or were not distributed in the specified region. | ||||
EPs
| EP Title | Release Details | Tracklist |
|---|---|---|
| People in the Neighborhood 1991-1994 EP |
|
|
| (Now Y'all Giving Up) Love |
|
As lead artist
| Single Title | Year Released | Peak Chart Positions | Album Name | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Dance | US R&B | US Rap | AUS | NED | UK | UK Dance | UK Indie | ||||
| "Just Say Stet" | 1985 | — | — | * | — | — | — | — | — | On Fire | |
| "Faye/Forever My Beat" | 1987 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Go Stetsa I" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| "A.F.R.I.C.A." (featuring The Rev. Jesse Jackson and Olatunji and the Drums Of Passion) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Template:Non-album single | |||
| "Sally/DBC Let the Music Play" | 1988 | — | 25 | — | — | 100 | — | — | In Full Gear | ||
| "Talkin' All That Jazz" | 22 | 34 | 87 | — | 73 | — | — | ||||
| "Float On" (featuring Force M.D.s) | 1989 | — | 56 | 24 | — | 91 | 91 | — | — | ||
| "A.F.R.I.C.A." (Norman Cook Remix) | 1990 | — | — | — | — | — | 81 | — | — | Blood, Sweat & No Tears | |
| "Speaking of a Girl Named Suzy/Anytime, Anyplace" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| "No B.S. Allowed" | 1991 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "So Let the Fun Begin/Hip Hop Band" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| "Talkin' All That Jazz" (Dimitri from Paris Remix) | 1998 | — | — | — | — | — | 54 | 1 | 7 | 'A Night at the Playboy Mansion' | |
| "The Hip Hop Band/Talkin All That Jazz" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 'Blood, Sweat & No Tears and In Full Gear' | ||
| " (Now Y'all Giving Up) Love" | 2020 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Here We Go Again" | 2022 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Fallen Soldiers" | 2022 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
As a featured artist
| Track Title | Release Year | Highest chart positions | Certifications | Album | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Dance |
US R&B |
US Rap |
NZ |
UK | ||||
| "Self Destruction" (credited to Stop the Violence Movement) |
1989 | —[lower-alpha 1] | 30 | 1 | 33 | 75 |
|
Template:Non-album single |
Guest contributions
| Track Title | Release Year | Album |
|---|---|---|
| "I Ain't Making It" | 1989 | Lean on Me Soundtrack |
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