Boo-Yaa T.R.I.B.E.

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Boo-Yaa T.R.I.B.E.
Origin Carson, California
Genre(s) Hip hop
Years active 1988-present
Label(s) Island Records
Samoan Mafia Records
Associated acts Ice Cube
Members
E.K.A.
Gawtti
The Godfather
Kobra Konvict
Monsta O
Murder One
Ganxsta Ridd

Boo-Yaa T.R.I.B.E. are a hip hop group from Carson, California, composed of the Devoux brothers Paul, Ted, Donald, Roscoe, Danny, and David. Their family is from Samoa. They first began playing music in their father's Baptist church. Before anyone else arrived, they would play P-Funk and experiment with other forms of hip-hop. Particularly popular in their South Bay neighborhood, they began to dance to funk music. The brothers then created the dance crew the Blue City Strutters and publicly performed. Despite their religious upbringing, the brothers eventually fell into the gang scene popular in their home of Compton, Los Angeles. After their youngest brother was killed in 1987, they decided to turn their lives around and dedicate their lives to music because “that’s what he would have wanted”.[1] To get away from the gang culture, the brothers decided to leave L.A. and go to Japan. While there, they were inspired to begin performing music again, with Paul “Gangxta R.I.D.” rapping in front of eager Japanese audiences.[2] They toured Japan in the mid 1980s and became very popular.[3] Upon their return to California in 1988, the group focused again on making music and re-christened themselves as the Boo-Yaa T.R.I.B.E.[4]Their pioneering debut LP, "New Funky Nation", was different from most rap records at the time because the Boo-Yaa TRIBE played live instruments on it. Later on, they ventured into the realms of both gangsta rap and rapcore music. They also appeared on the "Judgment Night" soundtrack performing "Another Body Murdered" with Faith No More, on Kid Frost's "East Side Story" LP and on the rock group P.O.D.'s Testify, with the emotional rap track "On the Grind." They are also affiliated with the Bloods gang, which can be heard often in their music. The "Boo-Yaa" in their name signifies the sound of a shotgun being discharged, while the "T.R.I.B.E." stands for "Too Rough International Boo-Yaa Empire." According to hip-hop documentarian, Boo-Yaa T.R.I.B.E is "synonymous with hip hop in Los Angeles." [5]

Contents

[edit] Influence

The Boo-Yaa T.R.I.B.E has also proven to be very influential for other Samoan hip-hop artists. Kosmo, an important Samoan hip-hop artist in New Zealand cites the Boo-Yaa T.R.I.B.E. as "an original inspiration for his lifelong interest in street dance and...hip hop music." Additionally, as Samoans are often seen as a diasporic group spread out among various locations, the Boo-Yaa T.R.I.B.E. have been successfully able to reckon their role as Samoans and Americans while still traveling and achieving success in Japan and other countries [6]. The group's 1997 album titled "Angry Samoans" hints at the connection to their Samoan heritage even as they are often identified with the California hip-hop scene. [7]

The four brothers began their musical careers on a small scale performing instrumentals at their father (a Baptist Minister's) Church. While on their own time they would be practicing funk hits from the American band #REDIRECT Parliament-Funkadelic The Brothers got their start through professional dance then later found their way into making the music in which they enjoyed dancing to. [8]. In 2000 there was a small change within the group as David Devoux left, and was replaced by Vincent Devoux aka Gawtti. [9]

[edit] Discography

Album Information
New Funky Nation
  • Released: 1990
  • Chart Positions: #117 US, #33 R&B/Hip-Hop
  • Last RIAA certification: Platinum
  • Singles: "Psyko Funk"
Doomsday
Occupation Hazardous
Metally Disturbed
Mafia Lifestyle
West Koastra Nostra
Angry Samoans
Business As Usual

[edit] External links

[edit] References

  1. ^ "Boo Yaa Tribe Interview" http://www.thesituation.co.uk/features/booyaa_tribe/booyaa_tribe.html
  2. ^ Henderson, April K. “Dancing Between Islands: Hip Hop and the Samoan Diaspora.” In The Vinyl Ain’t Final: Hip Hop and the Globalization of Black Popular Culture, ed. by Dipannita Basu and Sidney J. Lemelle, 180-199. London; Ann Arbor, MI: Pluto Press, 200
  3. ^ Henderson, April K. “Dancing Between Islands: Hip Hop and the Samoan Diaspora.” In The Vinyl Ain’t Final: Hip Hop and the Globalization of Black Popular Culture, ed. by Dipannita Basu and Sidney J. Lemelle, 180-199. London; Ann Arbor, MI: Pluto Press, 200
  4. ^ http://www.mtv.com/music/artist/boo_yaa_tribe/artist.jhtml#bio Bio from mtv.com
  5. ^ Henderson, April K. “Dancing Between Islands: Hip Hop and the Samoan Diaspora.” In The Vinyl Ain’t Final: Hip Hop and the Globalization of Black Popular Culture, ed. by Dipannita Basu and Sidney J. Lemelle, 180-199. London; Ann Arbor, MI: Pluto Press, 200
  6. ^ Henderson, April K. “Dancing Between Islands: Hip Hop and the Samoan Diaspora.” In The Vinyl Ain’t Final: Hip Hop and the Globalization of Black Popular Culture, ed. by Dipannita Basu and Sidney J. Lemelle, 180-199. London; Ann Arbor, MI: Pluto Press, 200
  7. ^ Boo-Yaa T.R.I.B.E. The Situation Interviews. "http://www.thesituation.co.uk/features/booyaa_tribe/booyaa_tribe.html"
  8. ^ Dancing Between Islands: Hip Hop and the Samoan Diaspora By April Henderson
  9. ^ //..The Boo-yaa T.R.I.B.E..\\ BIO
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