Techno Hop Records

King Tee is a staple in west coast Hip-Hop. His flow and cadence set him apart from his contemporaries, and he was one of the few early California MCs that east coast MCs openly respected. In 1987, King Tee released "Payback's A Mutha" with Keith Cooley on Techno Hop Records. Lyrically, Tee's style and delivery on "Payback's A Mutha" was more reminiscent of LL COOL J's than many of his Techno Hop electro-influenced labelmates. The west had not yet developed their own distinct musical style, and the sound bed was a drum machine combined with James Brown's "Big Payback."

In the same year, Tee released "The Coolest," produced by DJ Pooh, and "Ya Better Bring A Gun" with Mix Master Spade and the Compton Posse. Although Eazy-E and N.W.A. were right around the corner, "Better Bring A Gun" contained some the earliest mentions of Compton on record (Compton's Most Wanted also recorded on Techno Hop). The mid-tempo track used Taana Gardner's 1981 smash, "Heartbeat," as its base, and featured the harmonizing of the late Mix Master Spade.

Ice-T released "6 In The Morning," "Doggin' The Wax" and "Ya Don't Quit" on Techno Hop Records, which was founded by The Unknown DJ, who released his recordings along with early recordings by Compton's Most Wanted, Cli-N-Tel and DJ Slip on the label.

Bass

1987 was a busy year for King Tee, who also released his breakout single, "Bass" on Greg Mack's Mack Daddy label. Bass featured King Tee's signature cadence and unmistakable voice over "Get Up To Get Down" by Brass Construction. That bass line and horn riff carried the track, which was picked up and remixed for its 1988 Capitol Records release. The video for "Bass" gave King Tee much needed visibility, and introduced the general public to DJ Pooh, who would co-write and play a pivotal role in Friday as "Red" seven years later. "Bass" reached #19 on the Billboard Hot Rap Singles chart.

Act A Fool

Act A Fool was released in November of 1988 on Capitol Records. Schoolly D, Ice-T, and N.W.A. are often mentioned as pioneers in the sub-genre that the media later dubbed "Gangster Rap," but King Tee definitely pioneered it as well. The previously mentioned Compton references as well as the album cover for Act A Fool were pretty unprecedented at the time. King Tee drags a shotgun down the street donning a khaki suit and slippers.

On the title track, Tee tells the tale of a Friday night out, evading jackers, listening to Zapp and Parliament Funkadelic, and party searching. "Flirt" is a drum heavy pimp tale that uses Cameo's classic hit of the same name. "Baggin' On Ya Moms" is an interlude which features Tee and his boys playing the dozens over DJ Divine's "Get into The Mix." "Just Clowning," which features MC Breeze and Mix Master Spade, is musically a precursor to the west coast sound, with its use of Parliament's "Aqua Boogie." "Ko Rock Stuff" was originally released as the B side of the Capitol Records release of "Bass" and contains a sped up sample of "Cardova" by The Meters.

Act A Fool is the full-length debut of one of Hip-Hop's most clever and uncompromising lyricists. The seeds of the sound and image of a coast were born on this project. The album peaked at no. 125 on the US Billboard 200 and 35 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop chart.