Since the Six album, the group has not released any new music, but its older songs have been featured in many various old school compilations and three greatest-hits collections have been released: The Jive Collection, Vol. The artist, known by his stage name Ecstasy and recognizable from his … [5][6], In 1984, the group released the second album Escape. Whodini rapper John “Ecstasy” Fletcher has died at 56 years old. On May 17, 2011, a deluxe version of Escape was released on CD with nine bonus tracks. They were the first Rap Act and Break Dance troop to Tour in the UK and Europe, with UTFO also appearing with them as their break dance act. [12], A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child, "Whodini Headlines Peace Hip Hop '09: August 1st", "The Best Rap Albums of the '80s (by ROB KENNER, AL SHIPLEY, CRAIG JENKINS, DAVE BRY, DAVID DRAKE, LARRY HESTER, MICHAEL A. GONZALES) October 4, 2018", John Fletcher Of Whodini Music Group Has Passed Away, "Hip-Hop Gem: Jermaine Dupri Started Out As A Dancer For Whodini (by HAO NGUYEN) September 6, 2014", "Highlights From the 2018 Black Music Honors (by Cherie Saundersposted) September 9, 2018", "John 'Ecstasy' Fletcher, of the Pioneering Rap Group Whodini, Dies at 56", "Whodini — Chart History: Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums", "Whodini — Chart History: Billboard Hot 100", "Whodini — Chart History: Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs", "Whodini — Chart History: Hot Dance Club Songs", "Whodini — Chart History: R&B/Hip-Hop Streaming Songs", "Premiere: Meshell Ndegeocello Covers Whodini's "Friends, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Whodini&oldid=1002042866, Articles with unsourced statements from February 2010, Wikipedia articles with MusicBrainz identifiers, Wikipedia articles with WORLDCATID identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, "Magic's Wand", "Freaks Come Out at Night", "King Holiday" (King Dream Chorus and Holiday Crew), Format: cassette, LP, CD, digital download. Ecstasy (who wore a Zorro-style hat as his trademark); and turntable artist DJ Drew Carter, a.k.a. John “Ecstasy” Fletcher, member of the early, influential hip-hop group Whodini, has died at the age of 56, People reports. In recent years, Whodini still tours occasionally, and its old records still surface on pop and R&B radio, especially during old-school mix shows. Their sixth album Six produced one single, "Keep Running Back", and appeared briefly on the R&B chart. [4], Many of these songs were also groundbreaking in hip hop culture, as each one of the songs told a unique story from the urban perspective. Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. Musician and journalist Questlove broke the news on Wednesday afternoon. John Fletcher, also known as Ecstasy, of the pioneering hip-hop group Whodini, has died at 56. The drum beat from "Friends" is sampled in Public Enemy's "Sophisticated Bitch" from the album "Yo Bum Rush The Show". Whodini. On July 8, 1983, the group released the self-titled album Whodini on vinyl and audio cassettes. Want to see Whodini in concert? Whodini was among the first hip hop groups to cultivate a high-profile national following for hip hop music and made significant inroads on urban radio. 97,826, This story has been shared 88,468 times. “One Love to Ecstasy of the Legendary #Whodini,” Questlove wrote on his Instagram page. Although the group was still obligated to Jive Records, for the next few years the band eked out its tenure by occasionally only releasing singles, including “Anyway I Gotta Swing It” for the A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child movie soundtrack. Meshell Ndegeocello covers “Friends” into her song entitled "Come To Me" on her 11th Album "Comet". Cool J and the Beastie Boys, as many groups had already turned to the kind of rap and rock music that crossed over easily, and Open Sesame failed to produce any real hits. The Brooklyn, New York-based trio consisted of vocalist and main lyricist Jalil Hutchins; co-vocalist John Fletcher, a.k.a. Post was not sent - check your email addresses! 14 singles of the group hit the charts of the American magazine Billboard. They even began to sample, as a snippet of Cheryl Lynn's "Got to be Real" is heard on the song "Now That Whodini's Inside the Joint". On August 16, 2018, the group was awarded the Hip-Hop Icon Award at the 3rd Black Music Honors ceremony held at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center in Nashville, Tennessee. Your California Privacy Rights Hip-Hop Group Whodini's 'Legendary' John 'Ecstasy' Fletcher Is Dead at 56: Report "My God, this one hurts me so bad," tweeted rapper Jermaine Dupri December 23, 2020 05:00 PM This group has performed in many on-stage events. Billboard reports the rapper, whose stage name was Ecstasy and often wore a “Zorro” hat, died Wednesday. The Trio Whodini is most famous in the US. Worst dad ever runs off with girlfriend's mom day after birth of his son, Critics slam Cruz after he reportedly left dog home alone while in Cancun, Ted Cruz's family seen soaking up the Cancun sun while Texas shivers, 'Gorilla Glue girl' GoFundMe page under investigation, Cadbury under fire for same-sex kiss in new Creme Egg commercial. On CD, the album was released in the United States only in 2010. The album ended up being certified for platinum-level sales by the RIAA, selling over one million albums upon its release. Whodini. The band’s breakthrough came the following year with “Escape,” according to Rolling Stone.The song was produced by Kurtis Blow associate Larry Smith and included such smashes as “Freaks Come Out at Night” and “Friends,” which is one of the most sampled songs in hip-hop, appearing in tracks by Kanye West, Dr. Dre, Tupac, Nas and more than 150 others. Whodini was one of rap music’s early popular groups during the 1980s, ... Trending Now. Paul Kodish, drummer of Pendulum, was featured on the album. This page was last edited on 22 January 2021, at 15:34. Whodini is not due to play near your location currently - but they are scheduled to play 1 concert across 1 country in 2021-2022. Sitemap members Doctor Ice and Kangol Kid). In 1982, Whodini made a rap story with their debut single "Magic's Wand", an ode to rap radio pioneer Mr. Magic, which became the first rap song to receive a music video. As a child in the 1980s, Dupri did a brief stint as a dancer for the group.[9]. Whodini rapper John “Ecstasy” Fletcher has died at 56 years old. Find information on all of Whodini’s upcoming concerts, tour dates and ticket information for 2021-2022. Music, Film, TV and Political News Coverage. View all concerts. Whodini, managed by Russell Simmons during their 80s heyday, was one of the earliest acts to combine rap with rock, and they were the first to perform live with b-boy dancers. The group of trio Whodini’s Net worth is $ 7,00,000. With the fourth album Open Sesame, its final release of the 1980s, the group had turned away from their once-playful simple beats and catchy rhymes of the old school and instead became vocally harder and more instrument-driven, with guitars and horns and bells. 89K likes. The vinyl album is long out of print and the CD (only released twice, once in 1992 and again in 2002) is also out of print and any copies of either of them are valuable to collectors. Nas – “One Love” Nas dropped “One Love” in … But Whodini’s breakthrough came the following year with “Escape.” Produced by Kurtis Blow associate Larry Smith, it included such smashes as “Freaks Come Out at Night” and the cynical “Friends,” which is one of the most sampled songs in hip-hop, appearing in tracks by Kanye West, Dr. Dre, Tupac and more than 150 others. John Fletcher This story has been shared 133,883 times. Russell Simmons was the manager of the group in the '80s.[3]. Now MTO News has learned that the family of the Whodini group member launched a GoFundMe account to raise $20,000 for his homegoing service. John “Ecstasy” Fletcher, the co-founder of the pioneering rap group Whodini, has died, the group confirmed Wednesday. The group has released six studio albums. December 23, 2020 | 7:44pm | Updated December 23, 2020 | 9:16pm. They were one of … The group consisted of Kangol Kid (Shiller Shaun Fequiere), Educated Rapper (Jeffrey Campbell), Doctor Ice (Fred Reeves), and Mix Master Ice (Maurice Bailey). Do Not Sell My Personal Information, Your California Privacy Rights Terms of Use The group signed with London-based independent record label Jive Records in 1982; they enjoyed a string of hits for several years, mostly charting on urban and R&B radio stations. [4] Synthpop and electro pioneer Thomas Dolby helped produce this single. Live performances of the group were the first rap concerts with the participation of breakdance dancers from the group UTFO. This new school style had been similarly done almost a year previously on the multi-million selling debut albums by L.L. Whodini. By 1987, the group had earned its share of gold singles and albums. John Fletcher of hip-hop trio Whodini died on Wednesday (Dec. 23), Billboard can confirm. "Magic's Wand" also has the distinction of being one of Whodini's most-sampled songs. Whodini tour dates and tickets 2021-2022 near you. Whodini combined the goofy fun of The Fat Boys with the virtuosity of Run-D.M.C. Whodini made its name with good-humored songs like "Magic's Wand" (the first rap song to feature an accompanying video), "The Haunted House of Rock" (a rewrite of "Monster Mash"), and "Freaks Come Out at Night," and their live shows were the first rap concerts to feature official dancers (U.T.F.O. [2], Coming out of the fertile New York rap scene of the early '80s, Whodini was one of the first rap groups to add a R&B twist to their music, thus laying the foundation for a new genre - new jack swing. Whodini is an American hip hop group that was formed in 1982. Whodini carried the flag for the genre of Rap and were dominant between the years of 1983 and 1987. The group received the Hip Hop Icon Award at the third annual Black Music Honors in 2018. Whodini rapper dead. A cause of … In the 1990s, the band made an attempt at a comeback, and in that same year the group signed with MCA Records and released the fifth album Bag-A-Trix in 1991, which failed to have commercial impact, as it tried again to reinvent using the then-current sound of new jack swing. Privacy Notice Ecstasy formed the group Whodini with Jalil Hutchins in Brooklyn, New York, in 1982, before DJ Grandmaster Dee joined in 1986. We've received your submission. It was with a heavy heart yesterday (Dec. 23) that we reported on the death of John “Ecstasy” Fletcher — founding member of the legendary rap group Whodini. Do Not Sell My Personal Information. Following the news of his death, several artists took to social media to share their condolences. In July 1986 they appeared at Philadelphia's Spectrum Stadium in front of an audience of 18,000. Musician and journalist Questlove broke the news on Wednesday afternoon. They were contemporaries of other hip hop groups such as Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five, Afrika Bambaataa, Run-D.M.C., The Fat Boys and Warp 9. The group was involved in the first Fresh Fest tour, which was the first hip hop tour to play large coliseums nationwide. We hope this pandemic will get over soon. It peaked at #87 at the Billboard Hot 100 and #4 on the Billboard Hot Hip-Hop & R&B Songs. That’s 5 straight years. He was 56. The album was produced by influential German pioneer Conny Plank at his own studio near Cologne, Germany. In October 2012, Whodini was inducted into the 4th annual Long Island Music Hall of Fame. Fletcher, Jalil Hutchins and J Grandmaster Dee released six albums throughout the ’80s as Whodini (who are now considered hip hop legends of the era, second only to Run-DMC). “One love to Ecstasy of the legendary #Whodini,” he said. 's early work. 133,883, This story has been shared 97,826 times. John “Ecstasy” Fletcher, rapper and founding member of the pioneering hip-hop group Whodini, has died at the age of 56. Heavy on the sound effects, the song is full of references to various famous monsters and boogymen - Dracula, Bloody Mary and the Invisible Man all show up. Whodini is an American hip hop group that was formed in 1982. Whodini originated in Brooklyn, New York in 1982 and released their first single, "Magic’s Wand," not long after. “RIP to Ecstasy from http://Whodini.one of the most under appreciated voices in hip hop. Too many hits! 1 in 1995, Rap Attack in 2003, and Funky Beat: The Best of Whodini in 2006, which featured the seven-minute "Whodini Mega Mix", which was a medley of some of the biggest hits. Ice Cube posted a photo of the artist, writing: “Thank you Ecstasy for showing us how to do it. Grandmaster Dee. From the laid back groove titled "Five Minutes of Funk" to "Friends", a cynical story of betrayal sampled everywhere from Nas' "If I Ruled the World (Imagine That)" to 2Pac's "Troublesome '96", to harder edged singles "Freaks Come Out at Nite" and "Big Mouth". “This man was legendary and a pivotal member of one of the most legendary groups in hip hop. Due to Covid-19, this may be less compared to previous years. 88,468, © 2021 NYP Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved The instrumental of “Friends The track samples Whodini’s “One Love” track from Back In Black and peaked at No. KKK member gets 44-month sentence for driving through crowd protesting in Virginia. In March 2012, Whodini was featured in Season 5 Episode 3 of the TV One hour-long music documentary series Unsung.