U.T.F.O.
| UTFO | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Brooklyn, New York City, New York, United States |
| Genres | Hip-hop |
| Years active | 1984–1992 |
| Labels |
Select Records UTFO/Jive/RCA Records |
| Associated acts |
Full Force The Real Roxanne Whodini |
| Past members | Educated Rapper (deceased) Kangol Kid Doctor Ice Mix Master Ice |
UTFO (which stands for Untouchable Force Organization) was an old-school hip hop group, popular in the 1980s, that was mentored by the contemporary R&B group Full Force. The group consisted of Kangol Kid (Shiller Shaun Fequiere), Educated Rapper (Jeffrey Campbell), Doctor Ice (Fred Reeves), and Mix Master Ice (Maurice Bailey). The group's best-known single is "Roxanne, Roxanne," a widely acclaimed and hip-hop classic, which created a sensation on the hip-hop scene soon after it was released and inspired numerous answer records, most notably by Marley Marl's protégée Roxanne Shanté. "Roxanne, Roxanne" was originally the B-side of the lesser-known single "Hangin' Out." Because of personal issues, Educated Rapper was absent for its second effort, Skeezer Pleezer (1986), which produced one notable track with the song "Split Personality." EMD was, however, on one album track, "Pick Up The Pace", also featured in the movie Krush Groove. In 2008, “Roxanne, Roxanne” was ranked number 84 on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of Hip Hop.
Kangol Kid and Doctor Ice were originally known as The Keystone Dancers and were a dance duet, before going on to be dancers for Whodini. Eventually, they went on to form UTFO in their hometown of Brooklyn, New York. In 1984, the group signed with Fred Munao's Select Records, and, in the same year, it released its hit single "Roxanne Roxanne." The group's debut album was produced by R&B group Full Force. Full Force brought in New York's sound and sampling wizard, Gary Pozner, to help create the sounds and the beats. This was one of the first instances of the new sampling machine, the E-mu Emulator, used on a commercially released record.
While UTFO no longer operates as a group, they are all still very active in their fields. Doc is currently back to dancing for Whodini while also pursuing his solo career. Mixmaster Ice DJs in Columbus, Ohio and around the world. Kangol Kid still writes and produces. With Shaunda Lumpkin he founded The Mama Luke Foundation, hip hop's weapon against Breast Cancer.
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