RIP: Shock G (frontman for Digital Underground)

[Bob_Ross]

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I'll be the first to admit I'm not a huge hip-hop fan. But Digital Underground's biggest hit "The Humpty Dance" was an eye-opening revelation to me when I heard that bass line:



Rest in peace, Shock G

 

[RedMoses]

20 years ago i worked at a Jingle house and we did a session at major NYC recording studio for a Yuge softdrink company, the session was to record Shock-G (Humpty Hump) rapping for the commercial. I got to spend a few hours with him and BS, he was a very nice guy, amazing keys player and a true music enthusiast. The studio was non-smoking but Shock-G said "I smoke when I spit" and you dont say NO to Humpy-Hump. He chained smoked as he rapped through several takes until the client was happy, he was a true professional. Someone made a joke about why he did not show up as Humpty Hump, he said if you give me $10 Grand and and an hour to hit up the vintage shop ill be glad to bring "Humpty" over, we all had a big laugh.

RIP

 

[DirtDog]

RIP - I remember that tune being big at the club I worked at 30 years ago. One of those ones that always stuck in your head!

 

[WG Plum]

Time bust out my Sex Packets cassette. RIP!

 

[bass12]

That’s a shame. Digital Underground had its own flavour and it was representative of a time when hip-hop could be simultaneously gritty and fun.

 

[monsterthompson]

That bass line.

Im not a huge fan, but that track was undeniable at the time.

 

[Bell Boy]

Hump in peace

 

[ugly_bassplayer]

Invalid Link Removed

I'll be the first to admit I'm not a huge hip-hop fan. But Digital Underground's biggest hit "The Humpty Dance" was an eye-opening revelation to me when I heard that bass line:



Rest in peace, Shock G

Rip Shock G,
Sex packets.
Pure p-funk hip hop greatness.

Rip.

 

[MonetBass]

Bummer. That song was everywhere when it came out, and Shock G's rap on it is great. RIP.

 

[Skeezix]

Stop whatcha doin'
'Cause I'm about to ruin
The image and the style that ya used to

 

[friskinator]

The "Burger King Bathroom" line always killed me. Great song.

 

[Winslow]

That's a bummer. Digital Underground was cool as all get-out, and he was a huge part of that.

 

[two fingers]

Dang. Looks like drug OD in a hotel room. Doubly sad.

 

[Funky Ghost]

Man. DMX, Shock G... Rough stretch for Hip hop. I loved Digital Underground. Most may not realize that Sex Packets was a theme album, which was pretty ground breaking for a hip hop group.

 

[FilterFunk]

I dig fun-style rap/hip-hop more than any other style (with the possible exception of the best socio-political stuff), and Digital Underground was a whole lot of funky fun!

R.I.P., Shock G, and thanks for the good vibes!

 

[roller]

Shock G... he liked his oatmeal lumpy.

 

[Dr. Cheese]

20 years ago i worked at a Jingle house and we did a session at major NYC recording studio for a Yuge softdrink company, the session was to record Shock-G (Humpty Hump) rapping for the commercial. I got to spend a few hours with him and BS, he was a very nice guy, amazing keys player and a true music enthusiast. The studio was non-smoking but Shock-G said "I smoke when I spit" and you dont say NO to Humpy-Hump. He chained smoked as he rapped through several takes until the client was happy, he was a true professional. Someone made a joke about why he did not show up as Humpty Hump, he said if you give me $10 Grand and and an hour to hit up the vintage shop ill be glad to bring "Humpty" over, we all had a big laugh.

RIP

May he Rest In Peace, and it is great to know he was good on keyboards.

 

[GregC]

Damn, RIP to a trailblazer in terms of using P Funk in hip hop and the character he developed.

I learned two really cool things about Shock G in reading about him.

1. The group toured the globe with Tommy Boy labelmates like Queen Latifah and a roadie-on-the-come up recruited from the Bay by the name of Tupac. Touring with the band eventually led to his guest verse on "Same Song" from Digital Underground's 1991 EP, This Is An E.P. Release. That auspicious introduction led to Tupac's solo deal and a debut album, 2Pacalypse Now, on which Shock G contributed production. Their creative bond would eventually spawn two of Tupac's biggest singles, "I Get Around" in 1993 and "So Many Tears" in 1995.

"They both had a lot of absence in their lives, I think, from just, like, family," former Vibe editor-in-chief and Oakland native Danyel Smith told All Things Considered about the bond between Shock and Pac. "It was a very intense, brotherly relationship and they just liked working together so much, they liked partying together. ... [T]hey were always influencing each other. And on its best days it was a beautiful thing to see."

This bit is from a good NPR obit: Shock G, Leader Of Hip-Hop's Digital Underground, Dies At 57

And this!

 

[Supadope]

I can’t remember if Doowutchalike brought me to Stetsasonic or vise versa. Great stuff, RIP!

 

[friskinator]

“Humpty Dance” is up there with “Baby Got Back” in terms of iconic rap songs that made the pop charts. I’m sure it could still pack a dance floor in 2021. And I still know every word!