Das EFX

Das EFX
Background information
Origin	Brooklyn, New York, United States
Genres	Hip hop, Hardcore hip hop
Years active	1988–present
Labels	East West Records/Atlantic Records
Associated acts	Solid Scheme, EPMD, DJ Premier, Hit Squad
Members	Dray Skoob

Das EFX is an American hip hop duo. It consists of emcees Dray (also known as Krazy Drayz, born Andre Weston, September 9, 1970) and Skoob (also known as Books, born William "Willie" Hines, November 27, 1970). They named themselves "DAS" standing for "Dray and Skoob" and "EFX" meaning "effects". They rose to popularity in the early 1990s due to the duo's stream of consciousness lyrical delivery, which became one of the most influential lyrical styles in hip hop music at the time; as well as their affiliation with EPMD's Hit Squad. Their style combined intricate rhymes delivered with a fast-paced flow (that included words that end with "-iggedy") and numerous pop culture references.

Skoob hails from Brooklyn, New York City while Dray hails from Teaneck, New Jersey, but the two met at Virginia State University in 1988 and began performing together. Das EFX caught the attention of EPMD at a local talent show where, despite losing the competition, they did well enough to convince EPMD to sign them to a recording contract. The duo gained critical and commercial fame with the release of their landmark debut album Dead Serious, which highlighted their unusual rapping style (which they nicknamed "sewage").

Dead Serious went platinum and its lead single, "They Want EFX," (which contains samples from James Brown's "Blind Man Can See It" and Malcolm McLaren's "Buffalo Gals") reached the top ten on the U.S. Billboard R&B chart, the Top 40 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #1 on the Hot Rap Tracks chart. Follow-up singles "Mic Checka" and "Straight Out the Sewer" did not chart on the Hot 100, but reached #1 and #3 on the Hot Rap Tracks chart, respectively.

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