Songoftheday 8/7/18 - All I want to do is zoom-a-zoom-zoom-zoom and a poom-poom...
from the album Hard or Smooth (1992)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #2 (three weeks)
Weeks in the Top-40: 23
Today's song of the day comes from the rap duo Wreckx-N-Effect, who started out as a foursome in New York City with Markell Riley, brother of new jack swing king Teddy, joined by Aqil Davidson, Brandon Mitchell, and K.C. Harris. Their debut EP, on Atlantic Records, was released in 1988, with a revision of the soul classic "Let's Do It Again" as the lead single, but both had stiffed. Leaving Atlantic (and also member Harris) behind, the trio of Riley, Davidson, and Mitchell were signed to Motown, and released their self-titled debut full-length album a year later. Teddy helped his brother by co-producing the record along with rapper Redhead Kingpin, and the first single, "New Jack Swing", meant to be an anthem for the genre namechecking Riley's productions including a left-field Boy George, climbed to #14 on Billboard's R&B chart and slipped on to their Dance Club Play tally at #48 (it also was a minor hit on the British singles chart at #82). A second single from the record, "Juicy", hit #36 R&B in America but was a bigger hit across the pond, becoming their first top-40 hit on the British chart at #29. However tragedy came with that success, as Mitchell was murdered in 1990 as the second single was peaking. Markell and Aqil continued on, and replacing the "s" in their original moniker to Wreckx-N-Effect, they moved over to MCA Records for their second full-length effort Hard or Smooth. That album would be their biggest moment, crested by their first single "Rump Shaker". A salacious ode to the butt, anchored by a snake-like saxophone riff lifted from the record "Darkest Light" from French expatriate group the Lafayette Afro Rock Band, the track featured Markell and Aqil throwing verses along side Teddy Riley, whose own cameo was written by a young Pharrell Williams...
"Rump Shaker" became Wreckx-N-Effect's first and biggest pop hit, reaching the runner-up spot on the American pop chart in December of 1992. The song spent eight weeks at #3 on Billboard's R&B chart, while the remix of the song, which sampled disco queens the Emotions, helped the track rise to #9 on their Dance Club Play tally. Internationally, the single reached #10 in Australia, and made the top-40 in New Zealand (#11) and the UK (#24). The duo's follow-up single, "Knock-N-Boots", wasn't able to ride the momentum of "Rump Shaker", stalling at #72 on on the pop chart and #72 on the R&B list in the U.S., though it did reach the top-40 in New Zealand at #28. A third single from Hard or Smooth, the self-referencing "Wreckx Shop" featuring rapper Apache Indian, did a little better on the R&B chart at #46, though it just missed the American pop Hot 100, "bubbling under" at #101; that song did return them to the top-40 in Britain at #26 and landed them a third in New Zealand at #40. Finally, "My Cutie" was a minor R&B hit in America at #75, their last charting hit.
But with this success came strife between Davidson and the Riley brothers, and by the time their third set Rap's New Generation arrived in 1996, they were forgotten by their label and radio where single "Top Billin" tanked, not even reaching the charts. They called it quits, but reunited to perform recently.
(Click below to see the rest of the post)
Wreckx N Effect and Teddy showed up on Arsenio Hall to promote the single...
...and here's Markell and Teddy appearing on In Living Color to perform "Rump Shaker"...
Up tomorrow: It's sufficient for this R&B star.
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