kool moe dee
let's go
loading / —
Kool Moe Dee was born on August 8, 1962 as Mohandas Dewese. His early career began with his work with The Treacherous Three. After leaving the group he attended college in NY and received a degree in communications. He was also involved in one of the most infamous battles in history against Busy Bee. Kool Moe Dee kick started his solo career while he was still signed to Sugar Hill with T3, releasing the single "Turn It Up" and lending his writing talents the Sugar Hill Gang's single "The Down Beat" (he also recorded his own version). Both singles were released in 1985. Once he decided to reenter the hip hop scene full time on his own he enlisted the help of an unknown producer named Teddy Riley. The first single was "Go See the Doctor" and it made them both famous. By 1986 he had signed to Jive and released his first solo album. In 1987, with the release of his next album "How Ya Like Me Now" and the single of the same name, Moe Dee moved into one of the most highlighted portions of his career. He took on LL Cool J in a war of words. LL fired back with "Jack the Ripper". Moe Dee returned with "Let's Go." LL countered with "To The Break of Dawn." And Moe Dee finished up with "Death Blow". He became the first rapper to ever perform on the Grammy Awards. He also participated in The Stop The Violence Movement single "Self Destruction". In addition, he was part of the Quincy Jones project, "Back on the Block". He has continued to release albums into the 90's without much success with the exception of his greatest hits collections.
discogs
Mohandas Dewese (born 8 August 1962), better known as Kool Moe Dee, was an American old-school rapper prominent in the late 1980s and early '90s. He is from Manhattan, New York City. In high school in the late 1970s, he met Special K and DJ Easy Lee. They formed the influential old school hip hop group The Treacherous Three. It is with The Treacherous Three that Kool Moe Dee performed his freestyle, on stage roast of old school party rapper Busy Bee Starski, a performance frequently cited as a pivotal moment in the development of the battle rap. In 1986, Kool Moe Dee went solo, releasing a self-titled album. He is also well-known for his long-running feud with LL Cool J; he claims that LL Cool J stole his rapping style. The cover of Kool Moe Dee's 1987 album How Ya Like Me Now features a red Kangol hat (LL Cool J's trademark) being crushed under the wheel of a Jeep. His song I Go To Work from the album Knowledge Is King is considered by some the pinnacle of his work, with high speed, high energy and intricate lyrics masterfully mixed in to the stacatto sounds of a marching band. Kool Moe Dee also appeared on Will Smith's #1 pop hit "Wild Wild West" from Smith's 1999 motion picture, on which he re-performs the chorus to his 1987 single of the same name. In 2003 he authored a book called "There's a God on the Mic" (ISBN 1560255331). The book breaks down his 50 favorite MCs in terms of originality, concepts, versatility, vocabulary, substance, flow, flavor, freestyle, vocal presence, live performance, poetic value, body of work, industry impact, social impact, longevity, lyrics and battle skills.
last.fm
WEFUNK plays the finest in hip-hop, funk and soul. Discover our radio stream and show archive, and join our 20+ year journey through classic cuts, underground gems and dusty obscurities in the mix.