Reel 2 Real | |
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Origin | New York City, New York, U.S.A. |
Genres | Electronica, reggae fusion, Eurodance, ragga |
Years active | 1992–1997 |
Labels | Strictly Rhythm |
Past members |
Erick Morillo Mark Quashie |
Reel 2 Real was an American electronic and reggae-influenced duo which had seven Top 10 hits on the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart in the 1990s.
The duo's core member is producer and DJ Erick Morillo from New York City, who spent a portion of his childhood living in Colombia and also in Union City, New Jersey. The first release as Reel 2 Real was "The New Anthem" which spent a week at No. 1 in 1992.
Although it peaked at No. 8 on the dance chart, Reel 2 Real is best known for the dancehall reggae-influenced dance track "I Like to Move It", which featured Trinidad and Tobago native and toaster Mark Quashie, also known as The Mad Stuntman. The song peaked at number 89 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1994. It was successful in Germany where it peaked at number 3 on the single-charts, in the United Kingdom, where it peaked at number 5, and in France and the Netherlands it peaked at number-one. The song would later be used in 2005 animated film Madagascar, and was covered by comedian Sacha Baron Cohen but produced by Morillo, making it a hit once again in 2005 with it becoming the film series' theme song. In all, The Mad Stuntman was featured on four of Reel 2 Real's top 10 dance hits. Later singles featured Barbara Tucker, Charlotte Small, and Proyecto Uno. The Reel 2 Real alias was abandoned.