(Redirected from Cocoa Brovaz)
'Smif-N-Wessun' (aka 'Cocoa Brovaz') is a
hip hop duo consisting of members
Tek and
Steele. Smif-N-Wessun are 2/5 of the
Brooklyn supergroup
Boot Camp Clik, with
Buckshot,
Heltah Skeltah and
O.G.C.
Biography
The 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 Billboard R&B/Hip Hop Charts, 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-90's, 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
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 featured a
sample 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. They appeared on a number of compilation albums over the next few years, including ''
Soundbombing 2'', ''
Lyricist Lounge 2'', ''Game Over'' and ''
Soundbombing III''. They were never able to release the album they recorded for
Rawkus in 2002, though it has circulated as a bootleg. They rejoined
Duck Down Records for the release of the Boot Camp Clik's second group album ''
The Chosen Few'' in the same year. In September 2005, they returned as Smif-N-Wessun for the album ''. The album received good reviews, and sold around 35,000-40,000 copies in the United States. In
2006, the Boot Camp Clik released their third group album, ''
The Last Stand'', to strong reviews.
Smif N Wessun's upcoming album, "The Album", is set to be released on October 23rd 2007 via Duck Down Records.
Discography
| Album cover | Album information |
|---|
| '''Dah Shinin'''' ★ Released: January 10, 1995 ★ Billboard 200 chart position: #59 ★ R&B/Hip-Hop chart position: #5 ★ Singles: "Bucktown"/"Let's Git It On", "Wrekonize"/"Sound Bwoy Bureill", "Wontime"/"Stand Strong" |
| '''The Rude Awakening''' (as Cocoa Brovaz) ★ Released: March 31, 1998 ★ Billboard 200 chart position: #21 ★ R&B/Hip-Hop chart position: #3 ★ Singles: "Won on Won", "Black Trump"/"The Cash", "Spanish Harlem", "Bucktown USA" |
| '''' ★ Released: September 13, 2005 ★ Billboard 200 chart position: - ★ R&B/Hip-Hop chart position: #69 ★ Singles: "My Timbz Do Work"/"Gunn Rap"/"Reloaded"/"Get Back", "Toolz of the Trade", "We Came Up (Crystal Stair)" |
Singles chart positions
External links
★
Duckdown Records
★
Smif N Wessun Official Fan Forums.
★
Bucktown USA Official production company of Steele from Smif N Wessun.
★
Hip-Hop Radio Stations Online