Naughty By Nature
From New Jersey, the trio of Treach (b. Anthony Criss, 2 December 1970, East Orange, New Jersey, USA), Vinnie (b. Vincent Brown, 17 September 1970, East Orange, New Jersey, USA) and DJ Kay Gee (b. Keir Gist, 15 September 1969, East Orange, New Jersey, USA) are a rap troupe utilising the funkier rather than darker aspects of gangsta hip hop. Heavily influenced by the patronage of Queen Latifah, the language was blue but not always in the overtly sexual sense. Ghetto Bastard, for example, was a master stroke, pickled in the atmosphere of the street and exact in its execution of ghetto vernacular. Unlike many other hardcore outfits, Naughty By Nature were not afraid of injecting a touch of soul into the mix (once more, ala Queen Latifah), which makes the best of their work all the more endearing. They gave Tommy Boy their biggest ever hit with the 12-inch OPP, the largest-grossing authentic rap single in the US in 1990, selling over a million copies (OPP stands for Other People's Pussy, incidentally, though that did not prevent several generations enthusiastically singing along to ‘I'm down with OPP’, making the record an American equivalent to the Shamen's Ebeneezer Goode). A second album upped the sleaze factor with some lyrics, but still maintained the group's best traditions elswhere. The single lifted from 19 NAUGHTY III, Hip Hip Hooray, became another monster hit, helped in no small part by a Spike Lee-filmed video. Treach himself was to be found in Houston acting in the film JASON'S LYRIC, though he had appeared previously in the widely-ridiculed METEOR MAN. He has written his own film treatments, inbetween bungie jumping sessions in Daytona with close friend Pepa ( Salt 'N Pepa). He also launched the Naughty Gear clothing line. Kay Gee, meanwhile, earned a production deal with Motown, intial fruit from which was characterised by Zhane's debut album and hit single, Hey Mr. Deejay.