Back on track...Tone Loc

Aug. 16, 2006

Streeters Ground Zero Nightclub will play host this Friday to late-’80s and early-’90s hip hop legends Tone Loc and Digital Underground. Both were integral parts of the ‘90s dance and club scene. Tone Loc’s musical career would eventually be overshadowed by his acting pursuits while Digital Underground would watch their roadie/dancer/backup singer Tupac Shakur a.k.a. 2 Pac go solo and eventually become the number one selling rapper of all time. Despite dropping off the scene by the late-’90s, both have found themselves very much in demand.
Tone Loc got his start in the Crips, the legendary L.A. gang. Born Anthony Terrell Smith, his fellow gang members nicknamed him “Antonio Loco.” He would eventually shorten it when he became a rapper. Known for his hoarse, gravely voice, Tone Loc desperately wanted to find a way out of the gang life, so he took up rapping.
“I guess one day I woke up and said to myself, this makes no sense,” said Tone Loc. “I didn’t get why we were hurting our own people. I took a step back from it all and took a different direction. I made a commitment to make a difference.”
In 1989, after several years rapping around the L.A. club scene, Tone Loc hit the big time with his cover version, “Wild Thing.” The single rocketed to the top of the charts and sold nearly three million copies in less than a month. The song featured a sample of a guitar riff and drum beat from the Van Halen song “Jamie’s Cryin.” Though Tone Loc never received permission to use the sample, Van Halen looked the other way and never sued.

ACTING CAREER
He followed up “Wild Thing” with “Funky Cold Medina,” another pop hit that became a club scene standard. Despite scoring two big hits, enjoying multi-platinum sales with two singles and an album, Tone Loc was never fully respected by the hip-hop community. Some criticized him for being a novelty act and others didn’t like the fact that he went the pop route versus lyrically exploring his roots.
“I guess I didn’t want to explore or glamorize the gang life with my music,” said Tone Loc. “I wanted to be an example.”
By the mid-’90s he drifted away from his music and dived into an acting career. In 1994 he starred in the Jim Carey hit, “Ace Ventura: Pet Detective,” and for the past 10 years has kept busy in television roles in series such as “Touched By An Angel,” “NewsRadio,” “Living Single,” “Martin” and “Early Edition.” He also starred opposite John Stamos in the T.V. series “Thieves” in 2001.” While Tone Loc continues to appear in the occasional sitcom and does voice-overs for animated characters (he was recently on “King of the Hill”), he has returned to his musical roots.

GOING DIGITAL
Digital Underground came on the scene at the same time as Tone Loc. The Oakland, California, group created the “alternative rap” sound. Led by Greg “Shock G” Jacobs, the hip-hop band drew their inspiration from Parliament-Funkadelic. Like Tone Loc, Digital Underground steered clear of the gangsta rap scene and in many ways was a modern hip-hop version of George Clinton’s bands.
“When we started out we had planned to be social activists with our music, but then Public Enemy hit the scene so we went into a different direction,” said Jacobs. “We always admired George Clinton.”
Jacobs and crew took the Parliament-Funkadelic look right to the album covers, liner notes and often sampled P-Funk songs.
The group’s first album “Sex Packets” outdid anything its mentor ever did to market his music. To promote the album, the group circulated a fake document to medical clinics and the media stating that NASA had secretly developed these “sex packets” that astronauts could use to “relieve” themselves during lengthy trips in space. The farce worked as several media outlets including “USA Today” picked up the story.
Their early hits were part of the underground scene in 1989 and included “Underwater Rimes,” and “Doowutchyalike.” They became a commercial sensation with their hit “The Humpty Dance” in 1990 that climbed to number 11 on the pop charts.

PIMP CLOWN
Much of the group’s success has been built around Shock G and his secret alter ego Humpty Hump, the pimp-clown with the Groucho Marx look. At concerts, a stand-in would silently play either one person or the other, and when a smoke bomb dropped, Jacobs would switch gears (and clothing) and rap as the other person.
The band even created a fictional biography for Humpty, the story being that “Edward G. Humphreys” had become a musician after burning his nose in a kitchen accident with a deep-fryer.
While Digital Underground is credited for the contributions to the hip-hop club and dance scene of the ’90s, its greatest contribution might have been its discovery of Tupac Shakur. Shakur joined the band as an 18-year-old backup singer, dancer and roadie. After two years with Digital Underground he went solo and eventually become known as 2 Pac, the number one selling rapper of all-time.
Losing Tupac had little impact on Digital Underground whose identity had always been rooted in Shock G/Humpty Hump. The group enjoyed much success throughout the ’90s and, despite not releasing an album in eight years, they continue to be a top draw on the hip-hop club tour.

Hip-hop’rs Tone Loc and Digital Underground headline an all-star line up that includes DJ Beats, DJ Fungus, DJ Zest, T Money Green & Roadwork, 10 Cent Depozit & Native Child Friday August 18 at Streeters Ground Zero Nightclub. This is an 18 and up show with doors opening at 9 pm. Advance tickets are $20 bucks and may be purchased at www.streetersonline.com or by calling the box office at (231) 932-1300.