Happy Born Day, Treach! (R.I.P. Bushwick Bill)

Today in 1970 in “Illtown” New Jersey, the king of “OPP”, better known as Treach, was born. Treach is the frontman for the New Jersey rap collective Naughty By Nature. Born Anthony Criss in East Orange, New Jersey, Treach got his musical start in his hometown. He, Vin Rock, and DJ Kay Gee came together as the group New Style and released an album called Independent Leaders in 1989. Treach and Naughty by Nature saw the majority of their success with their 1991 single “O.P.P”. This song featured a sample from The Jackson 5’s “ABC” and debuted at #6 on the Billboard 200 chart making it one of the most popular crossover songs in rap history. The success of this single opened the doors for Treach to venture into other elements of Hip Hop culture in the 90s. Starting with a guest appearance in the 1992 cult classic Juice, Treach began the next wave of his career as an actor. His biggest role came in 194 when he starred as “A-1” in Jason’s Lyric. Looking back at his career, Treach was certainly a top tier lyricist, who also crafted hit records! His pen was enlisted for plenty of groups on the come up, making him one of the greatest ghostwriters of our generation. In the words of my brother, Dart Adams: "Treach achieved LEGENDARY ghostwriter status when he wrote "Jump" for Kriss Kross then turned around and wrote Da Youngstas track "Crewz Pop" DISSING Kriss Kross while referencing the song he wrote for them. Hall Of Fame status." Amen. It's no wonder Eminem lists him as one of his early influences and why he's still so revered to this day - among other rappers. The average listener, however, might need to run back through the catalog and do some more research. On his born day, I intended to make a playlist of his joints, but ended up just watching him and Bushwick Bill fight backstage on their "I Love the 90s" tour - this is before he ended up pushing Bushwick Bill off stage... Rest In Peace, Bushwick Bill, who does pull a sneaky leg trip to at least make it entertaining. Check out the full clip below... and I'll update this post with a playlist eventually... if I don't forget. Who could NBN battle in a Verzuz??

Supastition "Sounds of Xmas" + Naughty By Nature Christmas Card

Cormega shared an important message that echoes many of the sentiments that I wished to share today; he said: "2020 was a tumultuous year. Holiday season is hard to bear for those who may have lost loved ones during this challenging year. Think of your family and friends who lost someone this year and give them the gift of compassion and make sure they are OK. And if they aren't, do what you can to make sure they are. To all those who are feeling down at this moment, I send my sincere wishes of better days for you and I wish everyone a safe and good-moment-filled holiday season. Peace." Additionally, my brother Supastition released a song in 2007 that still captures relevant thoughts for the holiday season. The track is produced by D.R., and is a dedication to those less fortunate who are struggling during the holidays. You can hear that below, and as for the Christmas card above: if you were on their mailing list in the 90s, you undoubtedly got a Christmas card sent out by Tommy Boy Records. This particular card features Naughty By Nature and illustrations from the legendary Andre LeRoy Davis. The card says, "Have a Happy Holiday and a Naughty New Year! From your friends and family at Tommy Boy." I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, however you celebrate. I also wish you good health and better days ahead. Keep the faith! Much love and thanks for checking out the site and all of the support. Last minute gift ideas? HERE.

Naughty By Nature "Naughty By Nature" (September 3, 1991)

The East Orange (NJ) trio of Naughty by Nature consists of lead rapper Treach, rapper Vin Rock and DJ/producer Kay Gee. Their self-titled album is the first by the group as Naughty by Nature, as their previous album, Independent Leaders, was released under the name The New Style. The group was mentored by fellow New Jersey native Queen Latifah and subsequently changed their name to Naughty By Nature. Naughty by Nature was a critical and commercial success, being certified platinum on February 6, 1992, thanks in large part to the smash single "O.P.P.", which peaked at #6 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1991. Additional singles were "Everything's Gonna Be Alright" and "Uptown Anthem", which were both minor hits on the Billboard charts. "Uptown Anthem" was featured in the film Juice in 1992, and subsequently appeared on the film's soundtrack and is now included in the streaming versions of Naughty's LP. The success of "O.P.P." outshined the fact that Naughty By Nature released a classic album with some deep album cuts. "Yoke The Joker," "Guard Your Grill," the Queen-Latifah assisted "Wickedest Man Alive," and more, all serve to give the album a lot of replay value, even in 2019. I do not recommend you revisit Independent Leaders, but much love to Queen Latifah for seeing SOMETHING in that release that helped us get one of the best MCs in hip-hop history in Treach. Naughty By Nature was released on September 3, 1991. Revisit it...

Platinum advertisement for Naughty By Nature's self-titled album in '91 ...

B.I.G. Ends Contract w/ Uptown Records (May 16, 1994)

From the internet archives, this is an OG contract between Biggie & Uptown Records. It states that as of May 16, 1994, Christopher Wallace p/k/a B.I.G.'s contract with Andre Harrell & Uptown Records was terminated. B.I.G. followed Puffy from Uptown over to Bad Boy Records. The contract states that he'd leave with the masters for 'Party & Bullshit' and 'Flip That Shit,' in exchange for $326,092.91, which constitutes all the costs associated with those records. It goes on to reflect that B.I.G. would be transferring the rights and obligations over to Arista Records, which handled distribution for Bad Boy Records. For those that don't know, 'Flip That Shit' was a track Biggie did with Naughty By Nature, Onyx and 3rd Eye in 1993. According to Fredro Starr, the cut was also originally for the Who's The Man soundtrack. These contracts were up for public auction some years back, not sure if they sold and for how much, but it's a nice piece of Hip-Hop history. Damn... $326K and those weren't even "hits," times have changed. Rest in Peace, The Notorious B.I.G. 

Naughty By Nature "Nature's Fury" (Snippet Tape, 1999)

Let me start off by saying, 'Nature's Fury' is not Naughty By Nature's best work; however, I do think Treach is one of the most underrated writers and lyricists, so I wanna take every opportunity to shine a light on his catalog. With that said, 'Nature's Fury' is Naughty By Nature's 5th studio album, it was released on this day in 1999 through Arista Records. In the mainstream, 'Jamboree' was a charting single in '99 and was widely considered a comeback hit for Treach, Vinnie & Kay Gee after they'd taken a 4-year break between releases. Meanwhile, 'Dirt All By Lonely' worked because it fed the underground too. They went down South to tap Master P, Silkk The Shocker & Mystikal on 'Live or Die,' which I'm certain I skipped over, but I trust some people liked it, and the last single was 'Holiday.' In the climate of music in '99 and given their past success with crossover hits, their reach for getting back on the charts didn't surprise me, but it wasn't quite the album I was hoping for at the time. It lacked some of the more balanced album cuts that Naughty always kept to feed the streets. Even the track with Big Pun was a miss in my eyes. On a brighter note, the 'Nature's Fury' snippet tape was put out in advance of the album and had Treach rhyming over 4-5 short instrumentals in between snippets from tracks off the album; it's perhaps the only unique piece of promo I have from this album and it was hand-delivered on cassette. You can hear the mix below.

Naughty By Nature "Poverty's Paradise" (Billboard, 1995)

'Poverty's Paradise' was Naughty By Nature's third album, it was released on this day in 1995 through Tommy Boy Records. With a knack for writing hits, Treach, Vinnie & Kay Gee, had 'O.P.P.', 'Uptown Anthem,' 'Ghetto Bastard,' and 'Hip Hop Hooray' under their belt, but it was also weighing them down. When their sophomore album produced the one hit in 'Hip Hop Hooray,' the industry responded with 500k less in sales than their debut. With a 2 year gap to work on other ventures, Naughty returned with Poverty's Paradise and I'm certain the label was pushing for more hits. They pushed 'Craziest' and 'Feel Me Flow' heavy on national radio, I still remember the 'Hot 97 is the Craziest' campaign. To me, the best tracks on the album were 'Clap Yo Hands' and Treach's powerful meaning of the chain around his neck on 'Chain Remains.' In 1996, the Grammy Awards introduced the 'Best Rap Album' category and 'Poverty's Paradise' went up against 2Pac's 'Me Against The World,' Bone Thugs' 'E 1999 Eternal,' 'Return To The 36 Chambers' by Ol' Dirty Bastard & 'I Wish' by Skee-Lo - Naughty by Nature took home the first Grammy Award for Best Rap Album that year. With the exception of ODB, each was also nominated in additional rap categories, as well. Would you take 'Poverty's Paradise' over 'Me Against The World'? That's a tough one for me... both are solid.

Rottin Razkals "Rottin to da Core" (Rap Page, 3/95)

"Rottin to da Core indeed are the seeds from East Orange. Sproutin' outta da Illtown camp, produced by K-Gee (Naughty By Nature), and planted in Mad Sounds Records soil, their first harvest provides a good look at what Jersey's got to offer from Diesel (who just so happens to be Treach's lil' bro), Fam, who U should've heard on Zhane's "Hey, Mr. DJ," and DJ Chap, who is on da scratch and cut. A li'l more polish is all this cru needs to make their presentation more balanced, and they won't end up wit' top-heavy jams like "Batter Up," which begins hype, but deflates after the second verse. And a lot of their hooks are too simple to mesh wit' the intelligence of the Naughty camp. Personally, I don't predict any problems, B-cuz the potential to B-cum a successful group is evident, and the roadwork the Razkals have been doin' (opening 4 NBN) will surely show on the next Rottin release, as did their raw talent on "Knock 'Em out da Box." Also, for those unknowing, the Razkals R part of a Coast-to-Coast brotherhood known as Double I Productions (Inglewood, CA - Illtown, NJ), which is represented by the Road Dawgs and the Cruddy Click on tha W.C., and all represent 118th Street ('hood and management)." Check the visuals to the lead single, cont'd below...

"Peep the ills on their first single, "Oh Yeah," which shows U that they hit hard, but I didn't C any real knockout power until "Lick-a-Shot." Here's where the whole Double I posse debuts wit' sum sick shit. Diesel holds his ground tight and throws big nubs on"Life Of A Bastard" (remember his brother on "Ghetto Bastard"?). Side two of the tape was a much lighter hit than side one, which slightly handicapped the overall project. Never to say they can't flow, the Razkals can hold theirs, but the "2getherness" element doesn't mix thru the whole set and bounce the songs all the way to completion. If they persevere, they'll get recognized, I'm sure. Rottin to da Core in ya J-bahood reca sto. Peace." - Rap Pages, March 1995. You can save a copy of the full review below...