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Rap Superstars of Yesteryear

Where Are They Now: Rap Superstars of Yesteryear
Long before the music industry revolved around headline-grabbing hip-hop lyricists such as T.I., Eminem, Jay-Z and Lil Wayne, there was a long list of pioneers who came before them. Artists like MC Hammer, who crossed over to the mainstream like none other, and the rabble-rousing self-proclaimed “raptivist” Sister Souljah broke ground and became household names in their heyday. And, of course, hip-hop’s don Big Daddy Kane became famous for his lyrical skills as well as his good looks. Wonder what happened to those rap notables and others? In celebration of Black Music Month, BlackVoices.com gives you a hip-hop celebrity blast from the past. Check it out.

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MC Hammer – Then
MC Hammer sparked a clothing, dance and music craze with his 1990 sophomore album ‘Please Hammer Don’t Hurt ‘Em.’ Not only did the album remain number one for 21 weeks, but it also made the Oakland, Calif., native the first hip-hop artist to achieve diamond status, selling over 10 million units. Despite pulling in the cash, mismanagement of funds led Hammer to file for bankruptcy and, ultimately, contributed to his declining popularity in the music business.

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MC Hammer – Now
These days, Hammer, whose real name is Stanley Burrell, is a family man. His new A&E reality show, ‘Hammertime,’ documents his life in Tracey, Calif., with his wife, Stephanie, and their six kids. The ’2 Legit 2 Quit’ rapper previously appeared on the first season of VH1′s ‘The Surreal Life,’ and the new series will highlight how he runs his record label ‘FullBlast’ as well as his other digital-media companies.

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Salt N’ Pepa – Then
Comprised of Cheryl “Salt” James, Sandra “Pepa” Denton and their DJ Deidra “Spinderella” Roper, the trio became a crossover success in the mid-1980s with their Top 20 hit single ‘Push It’ from the 1985 album ‘Hot, Cool & Vicious.’ Over the next 10 years, the Grammy Award-winning trio would become household names with more hit songs, platinum-selling albums, a groundbreaking AIDS awareness campaign, movie roles and even a Cover Girl endorsement deal.

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Salt N’ Pepa – Now
With the promise of ambitious solo outings, the group’s final recording was th e gold-selling 1997 album ‘Brand New.’ While Salt scored a number one single as a guest rapper on Kirk Franklin & God Property‘s anthem ‘Stomp,’ Pepa, who married Naughty By Nature front man Anthony “Treach” Criss in 1999 and divorced two years later, appeared on the reality TV circuit. Pepa also wrote a revealing memoir about her life and times in and out of the limelight. Spinderella opened and operated a New York-based day spa before relocating to Los Angeles to become a professional radio and party DJ. The group reunites for special events — such as ‘VH1 Hip Hop Honors’ and the Tom Joyner‘s 2009 Fantastic Voyage cruise – and rare but financially advantageous concert gigs. A VH1 reality show, ‘The Salt-N-Pepa Show,’ debuted in 2007.

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Doug E Fresh – Then
Known as the “Original Human Beat Box,” the Barbados-born rap lyricist gained fame with his 1985 single ‘The Show’ and its B-side ‘La Di Da Di,’ which featured the Get Fresh Crew — DJs Barry B. and Chill Will — and MC Ricky D (who would later achieve fame as Slick Rick). Considered die-hard hip-hop classics, the tracks solidified Doug E Fresh’s place in and beyond the rap community. During the 1990s, he made career moves that paired him with MC Hammer‘s short-lived record label, Bust It Records, and later with Prince on a number of recordings.

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Doug E Fresh – Now
Still considered one of hip-hop’s legendary hype men, Doug E Fresh (real name: Douglas E. Davis) continues to get parties started far and wide. For Tom Joyner‘s 2009 Fantastic Voyage Cruise, he put on the executive hat and produced a late-night concert series featuring a who’s who of old-school rap veterans, including Whodini, Salt N’ Pepa, YoYo, Luke Campbell and MC Lyte. The father of five sons (two of whom are in the start-up rap group Square Off) is a proud member of the Church of Scientology and recently opened a Chicken, Fish & Waffles restaurant in Harlem.

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Tone Loc -Then
This Grammy Award-nominated grainy voice rapper is best known for the platinum-selling singles ‘Wild Thing’ and ‘Funky Cold Medina.’ In the late ’80s, Tone Loc, born Anthony Terrell Smith, was the second rapper to ever reach the top of the Billboard charts. Nevertheless, his pop-friendly tunes were not readily embraced by the hip-hop community.

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Tone Loc – Now
When music didn’t work out for this former member of the Crips, Tone Loc took to acting. In the ’90s, he appeared in films such as ‘Poetic Justice’ and ‘Ace Ventura: Pet Detective,’ but he found his niche in voice-over work for animated features such as ‘Bebe’s Kids’ and the Cartoon Network’s ‘Chowder.’ The West Coast rapper has had his share of health problems, suffering a seizure in 2008 and collapsing on stage during a performance a year later. The rapper’s rep said it was due to heat exhaustion.

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Sister Souljah – Then
As an extended member of the politically charged rap group Public Enemy, the Bronx native, legally known as Lisa Williamson, stepped out on her own with the 1992 album ’360 Degrees of Power,’ which was released by Sony’s Epic Records label. Both of her videos, ‘The Final Solution: Slavery’s Back in Effect’ and ‘The Hate that Hate Produced,’ were banned by MTV because of their inflammatory imagery. Souljah garnered international attention when then-presidential candidate Bill Clinton criticized her remarks about race in the United States during his campaign. When he became leader of the free world, many thought Souljah would fade into oblivion. In 1995, she released a critically acclaimed memoir, ‘No Disrespect,’ followed by the best-selling novel, ‘The Coldest Winter Ever,’ in 1999.

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