"I'm gl d th t Lin oln got
buck d in th ace, w hould
hav b n re in th fir t plac .
ow let m dr pit lik it hould
b dr pp d and watch Roc y
M rciano t mopped." A lyrical
perspectiv 0 whit Am rica'
. hero s brought t u by a rap
groupwh e lyri nd mu ic r
just as insightful and hon t a the
rapper who ha b en credited
with discov ring th m.
Da Lench M b i a trio of
young m n who were ach born
and raised in S uth Central Lo
Angels. Th innate talen of J­
D e, Shorty and T-Bone a rap­
pers wer further d veloped
when they m t Ice Cube a few
years ago, who himself has been
labeled as a controversial and
brutally hon .. t artist.
Once Cube heard what J-Dee,
the group' lead rapper, could do,
he went on to teach Da Lench
Mob as much as he could about
the mu ic industry so as to
prepare them for their much
awaited debut.
The lp entitled Guerilla In
Tha Mist gives Atco/EastWest
Records the perfect opportunity
to showcase a rap group who
m mbers believe in expre sing
their true Ieclin ,and not hold­
ing ything back.
DA LENCH MOB ....- J-DEE, SHORTY AND T-BONE
at's
The "around the way", R&B
hip-hop soul sound of Up­
town/MCA songstress Mary J.
Blige explodes on her debut
album. "What's the 411 t", a ten­
track showcase that Mary
describes as "purely self expres­
sive." With production by Mark
Morales and Cory Rooney of Fat
Boys fame, and additional tracks
laid out, by newcomer Dave
"Jam" Hall, "What's the 411?"
overflows with creativity, spon­
taneity and style. Mary's unique
blend of old school grooves, hip­
hop beats and jazzy vocals will
shoot "What'S the 411 ?" straight
to the top.
Track after track,
her iffepresible,
free-style soul
smootf71y blends
together I •
messages of
love & romance
with a cieepter
hip-hop vibe.
Opening up with shout outs of
support from industry favorites
on "Leave A Message," "What's
the 411 ?" stomps onto the music
cene with a star-studded line-up
of cameo app arances and an
overflow of style.
'Mary shows effortless ver­
satility with tand-out tracks like
the mclodiou "Reminisce", and
the jazzy, R&B blend of "Love
WithoutA Limit," combined with
the hip-hop funky sOURd of "Real
Love" and the hard-core title­
track, "What's the 411 ?" featur­
ing ra p. artist Grand Puba.
Whatever your pleasure, Mary
delivers music to relax, party,
groove, or make love to.
The success of the first single,
"You Remind Me," has given
Mary a strong foundation. Mary
redefines R&B music by bringing
in elements of hip-hop and soul,
much like Guy did with the in­
novation of New Jack Swing.
She is the first singer to use. this
combination of hip-hop and
R&B, making way for a new
direction in R&B music.
TRACK AFTER TRACK,
her irrepressible, free-style soul
smoothly blends together mes­
sages of love and romance with a
deeper hip-hop vibe. "When I
sing, I sing from my heart and
. soul, and when 1 perform, I want
my audience to know that 1 really
believe in what I'm singing, and
to feel the soul that 1 feel.
Born in the Bronx, Mary J.
Blige spent her early childhood in
Savannah, Georgia, and later
returned to Yonkers, NY at the
age of five. "I began singing in
church when I was seven, and
have been singing ever since.'!
. Despite her youth, Mary's
music is heavily influenced by the
sort of the 60s and 7 . She ex­
plains "My mu ic bring people
back to tho e old school mu ic
days. My mother used t listen to
Otis Redding, Glady Knight, AI
Green, and Donny Hathaway-I
grew up on that m ic and to this
day, if you throw an old school
-4
?
e
THE ANGER AND frustra­
tion that comes across in Da
Lench Mob's lyrics are feelings
that have come from years of wit-
nessing what they call the
brutality of 'the system," and
what it's done to society today.
Songs like "You And Your
Heroes," "Lost In Th System"
nd th d but ingl r I e
"Guerilla In Tha Mi t"
demon trat th po tic bility
that Da Lench Mob s e in
getting the m ag acro that
they'r her to tell the truth .. .like
it or not.
"I el that violence i nece-
ary in achievin fr edom and
change" aid horty in refer nee
to their ong "Freedom Got An
AK," "Loo at the L.A. riots.
They were bound to happ n
sooner or later. You can only
"It' not like any of us wer
born and rai ed with mothers on
welfar and house in the ghetto,"
aid J-D e "but we did liv in
uth Central, so we s w how
'th sy tern' affect d our friend
and their families."
D L H MOB represents
th cries of young America from
the streets of L.A., and what kind
of condition they've been sub­
jected to b cau e of a government
that they feel just doesn't care.
This i definitely a group that
The anger and frustration
that comes across in
Oa Lench Mob's lyrics are
feelings that have come
from years of witnessing
what they call the brutality
of lithe system" and what
it's done to society today.
push people 0 f r for th y'li
trike back. "
At one point in time, both
Shorty and J-Dee were in gangs,
but they aw the light and realized
that music was a more positive
way of expressing their feelings,
T -Bone, on the other hand,
avoided gang-banging by staying
involved in sport .
b He that chan and pro
sion within our government re
necessary. Da Lench Mob's
debut effort gives some artistic
insight into our country's history,
as well as its future, in the hopes
that kids corning up today may
live in a world that's recesssion­
free. hunger-free, violence-free,
and homeless-free.
ary J. Blige
party with old school beats,
everyone will come out."
Mary's big break came unex­
pectedly. One day, while shop­
ping in the Galleria Mall in White
Plains, NY, she decided to make
a demo tape singing ·the Anita
Baker smash, "Caugh: Ul: In The
Rapture." It was the display of
talent on that tape that caught the
ears of Uptown/MCA Records,
and prompted her signing.
Since joining Uptown/MCA,
Mary has had the opportunity to
participate in a number of suc­
cessful projects. In 1991, Mary
was featured on the Father MC
gold debut single, "/'11 Do For
You, " which resulted in the op­
portunity to perform on the
Ar enio Hall Show.
CURRENT PROJECT in­
clude a passion-filled duet with
Christopher Williams on his up­
coming album. "Changes", and
an encore performance on Father
MC's next release, "One Night
Stand.. "
Despite the opportunity to
work with .uperstars such a
Heavy D Father Me and Chris­
topher Williams, humility is
something that Mary prizes
above all else. "I am thankful to
God for every little thing that hap­
pens to me."
Mary' natural diver ity and
innovative tyle make her a
trendsetter in the music world.
Her ability to combine soulful,
classic R&B with the raw energy
of hip-hop makes her a timeless
am t who will no doubt· bridg
many of the generation gaps in
Black mu ic.