Cast your mind back to the heady days of 1993 when all that needed to make noise in the rap game was construction Timbs, a bald head and some Carhart? To really seal the deal, you needed to incorporate some Shout Rap, a chanted hook and some hyped-up beats designed to perform furious Rap Handz to. Ticking all of these boxes were the Troubleneck Brothers, comprising of seven dudes (none of whom I could name if my life depended on it), who burst onto the scene with the impressive ‘Gusto,’ the amped-up b-side to their ‘Troubleneck Wreck’ single on Bill Stepheny’s StepSun label in 1993. The following year they released the patchy Release Me Ep and the superior ‘Back To The Hip-Hop’ single before they dissapeared into the ether.
It wasn’t until 2010 that the bootleg album, Fuck All Y’ll appeared on vinyl, which showcases the crews 1992 material – including the original version of ‘Troubleneck Wreck,’ which is far superior to the retail mix in that it’s devoid of any Shout Rap. Turns out that a year can a make huge difference, as the ’92 incarnation of TNB features a more laid-back delivery which is far more enjoyable than the ultra-aggy incarnation from 1993. Blame Onyx, I guess. Was this another case of record label interference or simply Troubleneck adapting to the sound of the day?
Listening now, tracks such as ‘Open Up The Gates’ and ‘Poets At War’ hit a little harder than the later material, as they posess the same level of aggression but with a slightly less amped delivery. Unfortunately, they seemed to have gotten lost in the sauce amongst the likes of Das-EFX and the Wu-Tang Clan, who presented a more distinctive overall package. Neverthess, the TMB had a lot of potential which never had ample oppertunity to catch on when they were denied the chance to deliver a complete album. For fans of gritty 1992 hardcore rap, it’s worth cjecking your local rap download blog for a copy of Fuck All Y’All and the various demos that are floating around on Youtube.
I loved this group. They were like a bootleg Wu Tang. And come on, anyone who could wear spectacles and kick that violent shit was instantly credible.
Fat Boys are kings of shout rap 10 whole years earlier, plus Run DMC, only their not as aggressive or fat sounding. I prefer the 80s hard-rock shout rap, but ‘Throw ya Gunz’ and MOP are too good to deny.
Classic group! Would have been more of a household name, had they released that album in 92, no question. Great energy, great beats, great group
@P: There are more Shout Rap articles on the way covering them.
dope!
b.b.o. – in the nude
(s&s demo version)
90shoutraphighlight.
Dopety dope dope…
Back to the hip hop. .. awesome record.
@Robbie
good stuff, let’s not forget the Mighty Skinny Boys
..RIP THE CUT!!! Keep shoutin’ readers! lol
Let me be the 1st not to front….I don’t know where I was the day they played this on Rap City; but I never heard of none of that!? …..That shit Aiight
Loved these dudes. Still got my Back to the Hip Hop vinyl
word to bboycult….maybe this never got play in the United States? Don’t even remember these guys in any Source ads.
But when I see stuff like this I wonder where they’re at now. The people in the background too. Did they ever or do they still really like this type of music or were they just following trends of the day?
The Troubleneck Wreck/Gusto 12″ was reviewed as a sureshot single in The Source in the summer of 93.
They had a track called “Pure” that was really dope. Some of the members released another single called “Maintain” under the name 36Zero in 1995.
I’ll give you some insight.
“It wasn’t until 2010 that the bootleg album, Fuck All Y’ll appeared on vinyl, which showcases the crews 1992 material – including the original version of ‘Troubleneck Wreck,’ which is far superior to the retail mix in that it’s devoid of any Shout Rap.”
We liked the original version that you’re referring to. When we signed to Stepsun the song was 2 years old and we was over it. We did another version that didn’t get cleared. I couldn’t tell you the sample now, but it was very early horrorcore. The version that we made the video for was done on the fly. Back then you had a WINDOW to submit your music if you wanted it to come out at a certain time. We had to re-record everything.
If you listen to all of our songs (Troubleneck Wreck, Gusto & Pure), we take shots at Stepsun because at the time we felt they was dropping the ball. case of record label interference or simply Troubleneck adapting to the sound of the day?
“Unfortunately, they seemed to have gotten lost in the sauce amongst the likes of Das-EFX and the Wu-Tang Clan, who presented a more distinctive overall package. Nevertheless, the TNB had a lot of potentials which never had ample opportunity to catch on when they were denied the chance to deliver a complete album.”
There were three albums recorded. We recorded LOVE HATE and on that album was Dodge City, 862, 85 Live, Hectic, Pure, B2THH and a few others. After I left the group, two more albums were recorded. One was called UNSTOPPABLE.
“Some of the members released another single called “Maintain” under the name 36Zero in 1995.”
Yeah, that was 2 members from TNB, and two additional guys who rolled with us. It was on Die Hard Records which was pre-Bad Boy/pre-Ruff Ryders. That’s a whole other story BUT what’s important to note is that 36Zero was done because TNB was taking forever to come out.
Steve can u please bring back SOHH! Tried to holla at u bout this. Really need the Forum back…