By Lena

House Of Pain – Jump Around

Audio Piero

House of Pain was an Irish-styled American hip-hop group who released three albums in the early to mid 1990s before lead rapper Everlast decided to pursue his solo career again. The group is best known for its 1992 hit single “Jump Around”, which reached #3 in the United States, #6 in Ireland and #8 in the United Kingdom. The band’s history starts with a failed short solo career, Everlast teamed up with DJ Lethal and high school friend Danny Boy to form House of Pain. The group was signed to Tommy Boy Records, and their self-titled debut album (1992) went multi-platinum, spawning the successful DJ Muggs produced single “Jump Around”. Fashioning themselves as rowdy Irish-American hooligans, they toured with various rap and alternative-rock bands after their breakthrough. They participated together with Helmet, along with several other rap acts, on the influential 1993 rock-rap collaborative Judgement Night movie soundtrack. Their follow-up effort, 1994’s Same As It Ever Was, went gold despite minimal airplay and no major hits. The first single, “On Point,” is noted for taking a swipe at another American rapper with a strong Irish heritage, Mark Wahlberg (“Calvin Klein’s no friend of mine/So I don’t like Marky”). Like Cypress Hill, who, with House of Pain, were a part of the loosely-affiliated Soul Assassins posse, they found urban radio airplay an increasingly closed path, which affected album sales. House of Pain abruptly broke up in 1996 after the release of their third album, Truth Crushed To Earth Shall Rise Again, which featured guest appearances by rappers Sadat X of Brand Nubian, Guru of Gang Starr, producer/rapper Divine Styler and reggae singjay Cockni O’Dire (credited as the Scheme Team). On the release date of the album, Everlast announced his departure from the group.

 

Next: Carlos Moutinho

By Dominguez

CAKE – Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps
  

Audio Piero

Cake is a band formed in 1991 in Sacramento, California. It has had several hits throughout the 1990s and 2000s from its five recorded albums. Although Cake’s music is often classified as alternative or indie rock, it combines multiple musical genres, such as funk, ska, pop, jazz, rap, and country. Cake’s music features droll lyrics rife with word play and syncopation (laconically-voiced in a rap-like style by lead vocalist/guitarist John McCrea), catchy distorted guitar riffs (courtesy of guitarist Greg Brown until 1998, and bass player to Victor Damiani until 1997), and a solo trumpet (played by Vince DiFiore). Cake’s musical style has been compared to They Might Be Giants, Talking Heads, The Cars, and Camper Van Beethoven. Cake’s biggest hits have included “The Distance”, “Never There”, “Sheep Go to Heaven” “Rock ‘n’ Roll Lifestyle”, “No Phone”, “Short Skirt/Long Jacket”, and an alternative remake of Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive”. 

 

Next: Gonçalo Tavares

By Rudolfo Nobre

Panjabi MC – Mundian To Bach Ke       

Audio Piero

Panjabi MC (real name Rajinder Singh Rai) is a British Indian musician. He was born in 1971 in Coventry, England. Rajinder Singh Rai gained his stage moniker from the first fans who called him an Indian MC. He explained that “Indian” isn’t a language and from there was known as Panjabi MC after the language he used in the music he played and rapped. Ninder Johal of Nachural Records discovered Panjabi MC following a remix of Kuldeep Manak’s “Ghariah Milan De”. Although the single was taken off the market, Panjabi MC continued making records. His next successful release was “Mundian To Bach Ke” (“Beware of the Boys”). An underground hit on the Internet, it was picked up by German record company Superstar Recordings and became a major hit in Germany and wider Europe, including the UK.

 

Next: Fábio Costa