Backspin: Tuff Crew

Back in 1989, a high school friend of mine introduced me to a mix tape that he'd received from his cousin, or some other relative, who lived in New York (state or city, I'm not sure). Amongst the old school gems on this tape was a song that I'd never heard before: My Part Of Town by a group named Tuff Crew, out of Philadelphia. It blew my mind.

Tuff Crew was like the anti-Fresh Prince in terms of Philly hip-hop. Instead of humorous stories about Freddy Krueger and misunderstanding parents, Tuff Crew produced strictly hardcore battle rhymes and party jams, topping it all off with some great production. However, they didn't hang their image on crime like another Philly product, Schoolly D; instead, they were more like an early EPMD, dropping hints of guns and criminality without claiming it outright.

They were also unique in that they were a group consisting of multiple MCs who actually rhymed in most songs, a throwback to the larger rap groups of the early-to-mid eighties like Whodini and UTFO. Ice Dog had a menacing nasal monotone; Tone Love had a raspy flow that was razor-sharp; and L.A. Kid had a smooth, laid-back style that complemented them both. It gave their tracks a dynamic feel, and was perfect for party jams like Nut.

And then there was DJ Too Tuff. The fact that he was a white member of a hardcore hip-hop group was notable enough in 1989, but what made Too Tuff even more unique was the fact that he was their DJ, and uh, oh yeah, he ripped turntables apart. The DJ was a more central figure in hip-hop during this period in its history, with every album having a DJ instrumental track featuring plenty of cutting and turntable acrobatics. Most groups also followed in the footsteps of Run-DMC, adding at least one ode to their DJ on each record released. DJ Too Tuff, a.k.a. "The Deuce Ace Detonator", cemented his legend with the peerless Behold the Detonator.

Tuff Crew's best-known full-length releases are 1988's Danger Zone and 1989's Back to Wreck Shop, both classics in their own right. The crew shuffled their roster after these albums and eventually broke up, but not before making an impact on hip-hop much larger than their record sales would indicate. In my opinion they're a legendary crew, highly underrated and underappreciated by hip-hop at large.

On that note, the only fitting way to wrap up this column is with one of Tuff Crew's epic instrumentals, Going the Distance.

If you don't know, now you know.