New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Next year, 2015, pop music's hippest heroes,
Digital Underground (D.U.), will celebrate the 25th anniversary of their debut, earth shattering, multi-platinum album "Sex Packets" which featured the runaway hit single "The Humpty Dance." In preparation for the occasion, original founder and D.U. member Chopmaster J has joined forces with filmmaker and director Abdul Malik Abbott ("Streets is Watching," "
State Property") to produce the documentary "D.U. Days: Adventures in
Digital Underground the Apprenticeship of Tupac Shakur". The celebratory effort will be supported via a rewards-based Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign that fans can get involved with and join by visiting https://igg.me/at/D-U-Days.
Along with a series of orchestrated music releases planned to commemorate as well as revive the group's positioning in hip hop, Chopmaster J will be releasing "Sex Packets II" featuring new versions of D.U. classics written and produced by S.O.T.U. (Sun Of The Underground) and featuring an all new D.U. lineup; and unveiling the "D.U. Days'" soundtrack which features, from Chopmaster J's archive collection, exclusive never before heard tracks of the late Tupac Shakur.
Recognized as one of the first hip hop bands,
Digital Underground included Chopmaster J, Shock G, Money B, DJ Fuze and the then 18-year-old Tupac Amaru Shakur. The group's meteoric rise to fame in the early '90's was accentuated with chart topping hits like "Doowutchyalike," "Freaks of the Industry," "Same Song" and "Kiss You Back." The band made waves with their colorful and costumed attire, animated stage antics and innovative dance styling and moves.
Digital Underground is best remembered for turning hip hop on its proverbial head and invading the realm of pop with their 1990 pivotal Grammy nominated release "The Humpty Dance." "The Humpty Dance" climbed all the way to #11 on the pop charts, #7 on the R&B charts, and #1 on the Billboard Rap Singles chart. In 2008, "The Humpty Dance" was ranked #30 on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of Hip Hop and #65 on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of the 90s in 2007. The song was selected in the musical reference book, 1001 Songs You Must Hear Before You Die: And 10,001 You Must Download and nominated for Best Rap Video at the 1990 MTV Video
Music Awards. "The Humpty Dance" is one of the most sampled songs recorded by a hip hop/rap artist. Shock G and Money B performed as "Digital Underground" at the BET Hip Hop Awards in 2010.
The group's contribution to history has tentacles that reach even further though. From their 12 inch drop, "Doowutchyalike" to their debut album "Sex Packets," D.U.'s music unfastened a door in hip hop that was previously non-existent, mixing mad merriment, mayhem and sex with rhyme, rhythm and rap. Factor in the detail that rap music's biggest legend, Tupuc Shakur, started his music career with the group as their roadie, dancer and emcee and the D.U. legacy is all but cemented in the annals of pop music history.
The crux of the anniversary celebration, the feature length documentary film, "D.U. Days: Adventures in
Digital Underground the Apprenticeship of Tupac Shakur," will chronicle the turbulent times of the hip hop super group. Chopmaster J and Abbott plan to take the viewer on a historic tour recounting D.U.'s rise and fall. The film will recount a time when the mega rap tour was in its heyday. From sold out US tours, to Tokyo sex clubs, to the fall of the Berlin Wall, the young irreverent hip hop band from the San Francisco Bay Area traveled to every corner of the world entertaining millions of eager pop and hip hop music fans.
Abbott, who directed, co-wrote and edited the platinum-selling, short film / music video "Streets is Watching," and directed the underground hip hop cult classic, "State Property," both starring hip hop icon Jay Z, believes the documentary will play a crucial role in music history. "The movie is about the rise and fall of a would-be hip hop dynasty during the 'Golden Age of Hip Hop,'" he explains. "But more importantly, the film features the birth of the career of music giant, Tupac Shakur. Fans who contribute to the Indiegogo crowdfunding effort will play an important part in helping to document this significant time in pop culture."
"This project will be a must have for any true hip hop head," adds Chopmaster J. "The inclusion of some of Tupac's never before released first recordings are alone worth the price of admission!"
Crowdfunding participants can donate $5.00 and become a part of hip hop history while collecting unique D.U. memorabilia! Monies raised will support the completion of the documentary for a 2015 release.
As the lyrics from "The Humpty Dance" advise "stop whatcha doin'" and go to https://igg.me/at/D-U-Days now to help recapture this legacy in hip hop history! Also check out
Digital Underground at www.HipHopEarlyDays.com or www.dudays.com .
View official video for "D.U. Days: Adventures in
Digital Underground the Apprenticeship of Tupac Shakur," at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p1f9BZzMHTI .
