UTFO
| Company type | Hip-hop group |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1984 |
| Headquarters | Brooklyn, New York City , United States |
| Products | Music albums and singles |
UTFO—an abbreviation for Untouchable Force Organization—was a hip-hop ensemble originating from Brooklyn, New York City. The group consisted of Kangol Kid (Shaun Shiller Fequiere; 1966–2021), Educated Rapper (EMD) (Jeffrey Campbell; 1963–2017), Doctor Ice (Fred Reeves; born 1966), and Mix Master Ice (Maurice Bailey; born 1965).
Their most iconic track, "Roxanne, Roxanne", achieved classic status within hip hop and ignited the Roxanne Wars, which led to an unprecedented 25 answer records in a single year and eventually surpassed 100 responses. Among these, the reply by Marley Marl's protégé Roxanne Shanté was the most prominent, marking the beginning of hip hop's inaugural rap rivalry. Initially, "Roxanne, Roxanne" served as the B-side to the single "Hangin' Out". Due to personal circumstances, Educated Rapper did not participate in their sophomore album, Skeezer Pleezer (1986), which featured the notable song "Split Personality". However, EMD contributed to the track "Pick Up the Pace" on that album, which was also included in the movie Krush Groove.
In 2008, VH1 placed "Roxanne, Roxanne" at number 84 on its list of the 100 Greatest Songs of Hip Hop.
History
The group was established in the early 1980s under the name UFO, but had to modify it to UTFO after discovering a naming conflict with a British rock band. Kangol Kid and Doctor Ice initially performed as The Keystone Dancers, a dance duo who also worked as backup dancers for Whodini, before forming UTFO in Brooklyn. In 1984, they secured a deal with Fred Munao's Select Records and released their breakthrough single "Roxanne Roxanne." Their debut album was produced by the R&B collective Full Force, integrating New York's distinctive sound along with sampling expertise from Gary Pozner. This record was among the pioneers in commercially utilizing the E-mu Emulator sampling device.
UTFO holds the distinction of being the first breakdancing group to appear on The Phil Donahue Show.
On June 3, 2017, Educated Rapper passed away following a battle with cancer. Later, on December 18, 2021, Kangol Kid died from colon cancer at age 55.
Studio albums
| Title | Album details | Highest chart positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| US Billboard 200 |
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums | ||
| UTFO |
|
80 | 11 |
| Skeezer Pleezer |
|
142 | 14 |
| Lethal |
|
67 | 2 |
| Doin' It! |
|
143 | 30 |
| Bag It & Bone It |
|
— | — |
| "—" indicates albums that did not chart or were unreleased in those regions. | |||
As lead artist
| Song Title | Release Year | Highest Chart Positions | Associated Album | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US |
US Dance |
US R&B |
UK | |||
| "Hangin' Out/Roxanne, Roxanne" | 1984 | ― | ― | ― | ― | UTFO |
| "Roxanne, Roxanne" | 77 | 40 | 10 | 72 | ||
| "The Real Roxanne" (with The Real Roxanne) |
— | — | 44 | — | ||
| "Roxanne Meets UTFO" (Limited Edition) (with The Real Roxanne) |
― | ― | ― | ― | Template:N/A | |
| "Beats and Rhymes" | ― | ― | ― | ― | UTFO | |
| "Bite It" | 1985 | ― | — | 79 | ― | |
| "Leader of the Pack" | — | 43 | 32 | ― | ||
| "Pick Up the Pace" | ― | ― | ― | ― | Skeezer Pleezer | |
| "Fairy Tale Lover" | ― | — | 36 | ― | ||
| "Split Personality" | 1986 | ― | — | 50 | ― | |
| "We Work Hard" | ― | ― | ― | ― | ||
| "Ya Cold Wanna Be with Me" | 1987 | ― | — | 43 | ― | Lethal |
| "Lethal" (featuring Anthrax) |
― | ― | ― | ― | ||
| "Let's Get It On" | 1988 | ― | ― | ― | ― | |
| "Wanna Rock" | " rowspan=2" 1989 | ― | ― | ― | ― | |
Compilation albums
- The Best of U.T.F.O. (Select, 1996)
- Skeezer Pleezer/Lethal (BCM, 2000)
See also
External links
- Articles with short description
- 1984 establishments in New York City
- 1992 disestablishments in New York (state)
- African-American musical groups
- American hip-hop groups
- Hip-hop groups from New York City
- Musical groups established in 1984
- Musical groups disbanded in 1992
- Musical groups from Brooklyn
- Musical quartets from New York (state)
- Jive Records artists
- Select Records artists
- Musical groups disestablished in 1992