Sticking in the world of rap, specifically, artists who debuted at the end of the 80's, today I come to Young M.C. Born Marvin Young, he would move from Wimbledon, London with his parents to Queens, New York. There, he would dedicate himself to school, eventually ending up in University of Southern California, where he earned a degree in economics.
It was while attending college that he would rap over the phone to Delicious Vinyl execs, Michael Ross and Matt Dike. Impressed, the two would deliver a recording contract to him at his dorm. This would lead to his 1989 debut, Stone Cold Rhymin'.
Led by the single, Bust A Move, he'd separate himself from the pack of most rappers. While the completion remained confined to the rap charts, Young would break through into mainstream, peaking on the Billboard Hot 100 at number seven with the single. This was followed by the mildly successful Principal's Office which landed at number thirty-three, and I Come Off (featuring N'Dea Davenport), which fared less successful at seventy-five.
On a side note, if you haven't checked out Bill McClintock on Youtube, I highly recommend you do. His channel focuses on high-quality mashups, one of which is a fantastic rendering of Stop And Bust A Move, a mix of Young M.C.'s Bust A Move, and Buffalo Springfield's For What It's Worth. I've found a ton of great tunes from Bill.
While check out his channel, I'll dive into Young's debut.
There's something to be said about rappers who showcase talent over shock value, and that's exactly what Young M.C. does. Yes, there is an occasional wordy dirty mixed in, and it's definitely unnecessary. However, for me, it wasn't that good of an album. I enjoyed yesterdays from The D.O.C. much more.
Unlike The D.O.C., I actually bought this one for a reason, that being the single, Bust A Move. It stands out as the most superior on the album, and if nothing else, I'd have been glad I got this one tune. Fortunately, Principal's Office isn't terrible either. Though as a whole, the rest of the album is pretty forgettable.
Both tracks received music videos and became mainstays on MTV. So much so, that Principal's Office would win an MTV Music Award in 1990 for best rap video.
The sudden success allowed Young to leave Delicious Vinyl, citing restrictions to his work, and unwanted changes on his album. The label would respond with a lawsuit for breach of contract, which would ultimately be settled out of court.
Capitol Records would pick him up, and release his follow-up album, Brainstorm (1990). However, this would prove to be less popular than his debut, producing only one minor hit, That's The Way Love Goes, which peaked at fifty-four on the Billboard. He'd release one final album for the label, 1993's What's The Flavor? before being dropped.
Without having heard these albums, I can't necessarily say that this was any fault of the music itself. Rather, that around this time most major labels were moving away from pop friendly rap in favor of the more popular gangster iteration, a sad reality, but reality, nonetheless.
Between 2000 and 2008, Young would label hop, releasing four albums, but a steady decline in popularity resulted in him stepping away from the studio. These days, he focuses primarily on licensing material and appearing on reality television shows.
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