1994 Smif N Wessun rap press photo Nervous Wreck Black Moon Cocoa Brovaz BCC

You are bidding on one (1) vintage original press photo: Artist: Smif N Wessun (Cocoa Brovaz, Tek & Steele) Genre: Rap / Hip Hop Year: 1994 Label: Wreck Records (Duck Down) Dimensions: 8x10 inches Black & White No tears, folds, pin holes, creases, etc. Photo is mint. Photo ships flat. Smif-N-Wessun (aka Cocoa Brovaz) is a hip hop duo consisting of members Tek (Tekomin Williams) and Steele (Darrell Yates). Smif-N-Wessun comprise two-eighths of the Brownsville, Brooklyn supergroup Boot Camp Clik, with Buckshot, Heltah Skeltah and O.G.C. Both members are known for their Jamaican Patois during their raps, which was more evident during the earlier stages of their careerThe duo debuted on Black Moon's 1993 album Enta da Stage, appearing on the tracks "Black Smif-N-Wessun" and "U Da Man". They released their first single "Bucktown" b/w "Let's Git It On" in early 1994. "Bucktown" became an underground smash, and gave the group considerable hype for their debut album, Dah Shinin', released in January 1995. The album debuted in the top 5 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, and went on to sell over 300,000 copies in the United States. Along with "Bucktown", the album featured the singles "Wrekonize" b/w "Sound Bwoy Bureill" and "Wontime" b/w "Stand Strong". Dah Shinin became an influential album in the hardcore New York hip hop scene of the mid-1990s, and is considered a rap classic. Soon after the release of their debut, Smif-N-Wessun were sued with a cease and desist order over their group name by the Smith & Wesson firearms company. To avoid the lawsuit, they decided to change their name to the Cocoa Brovaz in 1996. In 1996, Smif N Wessun and The Bootcamp Clik flew to L.A. to record an album with Death Row Records artist, 2Pac. The album was titled "One Nation". 2Pac planned to release it with two discs, one titled "WestCoast" and the other titled "EastCoast". Fat Joe was supposed to fly to L.A. but never turned up. Snoop Dogg, Outlawz and others were also going to feature on the albumIn 1997, the Cocoa B'z joined up with the entire Boot Camp Clik for their first group album For the People. The album was seen as a disappointment, and led to the eventual decline of the Camp's popularity. In early 1998, they dropped their second album The Rude Awakening. The release was met with mixed reviews and moderate sales. The album's lead single, the Raekwon-assisted "Black Trump", was not able to reach any Billboard charts. In 1999, the Clik was dropped from Priority Records, leaving the duo temporarily unsigned. Soon after, the Cocoa Brovaz released an underground single, "Super Brooklyn", which heavily sampled from Super Mario Bros. Because of the illegal use of the sample, the duo was not able to officially release the track, but the single landed them a deal with leading underground rap label Rawkus Records. read more