Shoutout to all the kids who started summer vacation this week. I’m sure they don’t follow this site, since they were barely alive when most of this shit was out, but shout to ‘em anyway. In honor of the lil’ homies, today’s entry is dedicated to the pre-Bow Wow youngheads of hip-hop and R&B. Enjoy… or not.
Another Bad Creation: When I was like 10, I thought these lil’ dudes were the hardest new group out. Not sure about all that today, but it was cool as all hell to see a group not much older than myself rocking on this level. Michael Bivins of New Edition and BBD fame put this situation together, and they did their thing with that first album. But, like most child stars in music and TV, once those voices started cracking, it was a wrap for ABC. That “Iesha” chorus still followed me thru life, because that’s all I heard four years later, once I got with a girl of the same name. Kids…
Kris Kross: I’m old enough to admit it: in ’92, Kris Kross kinda sorta partially influenced me to start rhyming. After seeing them do it, I realized that I was the same age and could start rappin’ myself, so that’s how it happened. These two were huge that year, but they also ended up becoming victims of the vocal shift. Also, they were under Jermaine Dupri, who may be the king of playing “follow the leader” with whoever’s hot that year, so they were never really able to establish their own sound (which might’ve helped them stay around longer). Regardless, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t rockin’ with them for a hot second.
Illegal: The crazy thing with Illegal was that they were the only “kid” rap group to come out cussing and rhyming about shootin’ niggas and smokin’ blunts. It was kinda crazy at the time, because it was the total opposite of what people were used to from rappers that young. They were like the anti-Kris Kross, and they even went as far as dissin’ them (and other artists their age) in their songs to prove that point. Shit didn’t jump off like they probably thought it would, but their album The Untold Truth wasn’t half-bad to me.
Da Youngsta’s: These three were a little like Kris Kross, because their sound/style always seemed to depend on whatever was going on that exact minute. That said, they had a nice string of singles, and worked with damn near every East Coast producer of relevance during that time (from Marley Marl to Pete Rock to Premier). They had authentic roots as well, with two of them being the sons of Philly’s Lawrence “L.G.” Goodman, who put out a lot of classic hip-hop records under his Pop Art label in the ’80s. They never had a super-huge hit, but I might say they’re the only “kid rappers” whose music actually improved as they got older.
Immature: Aight, I’m not even gonna front: I didn’t follow these kids AT ALL. And they may have been getting Raz-B‘d by their manager, Chris Stokes. Anyway, they did manage to sneak in one or two joints that I didn’t change the channel on. The rest of the time, they were definitely moreso for the girls, who happened to love these lil’ corny niggas. I can’t knock it, since they probably weren’t aimin’ for the dudes anyway, so it was what it was. By the way, shoutout to Tia (not Mowry), if you’re readin’ this. We Got It!
Chi-Ali: “The girls look soooo good, but their brains are not ready, I don’t knooow!” When I saw the video for his first single “Age Ain’t Nothin’ But A #”, I was feelin’ it so much, I bought the whole damn album the following weekend. Chi was a member of the Native Tongues (which consisted of A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, and others), and also one of the first artists to be produced by The Beatnuts. Between ’92 and 2000, who knows what the hell happened, but the next time I saw him, it was on America’s Most Wanted. He was on the run and accused of murder. He eventually turned himself in and is still locked up today. Wasted talent, Calogero.
A lot of these acts weren’t around for the long haul, but they did more before they could drive than some artists do by the time they’re 30. Did you have a favorite from this era? Better yet, who has whereabouts on some of ‘em? Either way, speak on it!
Oh, and yeah:
Another Bad Creation “Iesha” (1990)
Kris Kross “Warm It Up” (1992)
Illegal feat. Erick Sermon “We Getz Buzy” (1993)
Da Youngsta’s feat. Treach “Crewz Pop” (1993)
Immature “Never Lie” (1994)
Chi-Ali “Age Ain’t Nothin’ But A #” (1992)
-D!
Posted by Danj! 
The Danj! Summer Seven of 1992 (NOTE: limiting this list to seven was hard-as-fuck- I had a new favorite song almost every week that summer):
