FannyPack

FannyPack were a dance music\hip-hop group from New York City that was created by music producers\DJs Fancy and Matt Goias & featured vocalists Jessibel Suthiwong, Belinda Lovell and Cat Hartwell.

The group formed in the summer of 2002 when Matt and Fancy first met aspiring DJ Cat and decided to record her voice on a few of their beats.

A few weeks later while shopping for records, Fancy & Matt heard a girl screaming and discovered that the voice belonged to then 17-year-old Jessibel. After arranging a meeting, they took Jessibel into the studio and recorded a track called “Hey Mami”. A few weeks later, Jessibel’s classmate, Belinda was added to the group as a rapper.
In 2003, FannyPack released their debut album, “So Stylistic” on the Tommy Boy Entertainment record label. The album peaked at #3 on Billboard’s Top Independent Albums chart and #44 on Billboard’s Heatseekers Albums chart.

The singles from the album: “Cameltoe” and “Hey Mami” were moderately successful and were heard in films such as “Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle” & “The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift”.
In 2005, the group released their follow-up album, “See You Next Tuesday.” It’s unknown how or if the album made the charts at all.
The lead single, “Nu Nu (Yeah Yeah)” peaked at #29 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Music\Club Play Singles chart and #13 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Music Singles Sales chart. The song was featured in films such as “Stick It” and “Fired Up”.

In 2006, FannyPack opened up for Madonna on the U.S. leg of her “Confessions Tour”. By 2007, they had disbanded.

These days, Cat Hartwell is a member of the band, Holy Hail and Belinda Lovell is a member of the group Retro Glam. In 2010, Jessibel Suthiwong released a solo album called “Brooklyn-4-Life,” but it’s unknown what she’s up to these days.

To see a video for “Cameltoe,” go to:

To see a video for “Hey Mami,” go to:

To see a video for “Nu Nu (Yeah Yeah),” go to:

Yo Yo

Yo Yo (born Yolanda Whitaker on August 4, 1971 in Los Angeles, California) is a female hip-hop artist & actress who is a protege of rapper Ice Cube.

In 1990, she made her first appearance on Ice Cube’s album, “AmeriKKA’s Most Wanted” album on the track, “It’s a Man’s World.”
A year later in 1991, Yo Yo released her debut single “You Can’t Play With My Yo-Yo” (featuring Ice Cube) which peaked at #36 on the Billboard Hot 100, #41 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Music\Maxi-Singles Sales chart, topped Billboard’s Hot Rap Singles chart and peaked at #11 on Billboard’s Hot R&B Singles chart, staying on the chart for 17 weeks.
In March of that same year, she released her debut album, “Make Way for the Motherlode” on EastWest Records which peaked at #74 on the Billboard 200 and #5 on Billboard’s R&B Albums chart, receiving critical success.
The follow-up single, “Ain’t Nobody Better” peaked at #4 on Billboard’s Hot Rap Singles chart and #30 on Billboard’s Hot R&B Singles chart, staying on the chart for 11 weeks.
The last single from the album, “Stompin’ In the ’90s” peaked at #2 on Billboard’s Hot Rap Singles chart. During that same year, Yo Yo also made her acting debut in the film, “Boyz in the Hood.”
In June of 1992, Yo Yo released her sophomore album, “Black Pearl” which peaked at #145 on the Billboard 200 and #32 on Billboard’s R&B Albums chart.
The first single from the album, “Home Girl Don’t Play Dat” peaked at #3 on Billboard’s Hot Rap Singles chart and #53 on Billboard’s Hot R&B Singles chart, staying on the chart for 6 weeks.
The title song peaked at #11 on Billboard’s Hot Rap Singles chart and #74 on Billboard’s Hot R&B Singles chart, staying on the chart for 6 weeks.

The year 1993 was a busy one for Yo Yo’s acting career as she starred in films such as “Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit,” “Menace II Society,” “Strapped” and “Who’s the Man?”
In June of that same year, she released her third album, “You Better Ask Somebody” which peaked at #107 on the Billboard 200 and #21 on Billboard’s R&B Albums chart.
The lead single from the album, “The Bonnie and Clyde Theme” peaked at #72 on the Billboard Hot 100, topped Billboard’s Hot Rap Singles chart, peaked at #22 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Music\Maxi-Singles Sales chart and also peaked at #37 on Billboard’s Hot R&B Singles chart, staying on the chart for 18 weeks.
The follow-up single from the album, “Westside Story” peaked at #14 on Billboard’s Hot Rap Singles chart.
Another single, “IBwin’ Wit My CREWin'” managed to peak at #95 on Billboard’s Hot R&B Singles chart, staying on the chart for 13 weeks.

After that, Yo Yo’s music career took a backseat as she focused on her acting career. She had a recurring role on the ’90s comedy series “Martin” & appeared on the FOX Network television drama, “New York Undercover.” She also appeared in the 1995 film “Panther.”

In 1994, Yo Yo signed a deal with Warner Bros. television to produce a sitcom called “Shifting Gears,” but the series was never picked up.
In October of 1996, she released her fourth studio album, “Total Control” which peaked at #46 on Billboard’s R&B Albums chart. The album didn’t generate a lot of success.

The two singles from the album: “Steady Risin'” and “One for the Cuties” didn’t make the charts at all. After a lawsuit for an uncleared sample on the album, it was pulled off the shelves.

As for Yo Yo’s acting career, she starred in the 1997 films “Sprung” and “Trials of Life.” On television, she appeared on “The Jamie Foxx Show” and “The Parent Hood”.
Her fifth studio album ,”Ebony” was supposed to be released in September of 1998, but it ended up being shelved because the guest appearances on it weren’t properly contracted to work with an artist on EastWest Records. Promotional copies of the album were printed before it was shelved.

Later on, Yo Yo was released from her record contract. Despite that, she continued to focus on her acting career, but after 2000, not much was heard from her until 2004 when she did voice work on the video game “Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas”.

In 2005, she returned to the music business with a mix-tape remix of R&B singer Ciara’s single, “Goodies” and rapper The Game’s single “How We Do.” She also continued with her acting career, doing some voice-over work.

During that same year, she and female rapper MC Lyte worked together to form an LA-based organization called the Let Your Light Shine Youth Foundation. She also taught lyric writing for the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz.

In 2008, Yo Yo performed at the BET Hip Hop Awards with female rap artists such as MC Lyte, Salt-n-Pepa and The Lady of Rage.

During that same year, she co-hosted the VH1 Network reality series “ego trip’s Miss Rap Supreme”. In 2009, she released the song “Give It T’um.”

These days, Yo Yo runs Yo Yo’s School of Hip Hop, which teaches performing arts to youth. She is also married and has two daughters.

As of 2009, she has been working on an EP called “My Journey to Fearless: The Black Butterfly” which has yet to be released.

To see a video for “You Can’t Play With My Yo-Yo,” go to:

To see a video for “Ain’t Nobody Better,” go to:

To see a video for “Stompin’ to tha ’90s,” go to:

To see a video for “Home Girl Don’t Play Dat,” go to:

To see a video for “Black Pearl,” go to:

To see a video for “IBW’n wit My CREWin’,” go to:

To see a video for “The Bonnie and Clyde Theme,” go to:

To see a video for “Same Ol’ Thing,” go to:

To see a video for “One for the Cuties,” go to:

To see a video for “Iz It Still All Good” (from Yo Yo’s unreleased album, “Ebony”), go to:

To see a video for “Do You Wanna Ride” (from Yo Yo’s unreleased album, “Ebony”), go to:

To see a video for “Give It T’um,” go to:

Breathe

Breathe was an English pop\rock band from the 1980s. The band (who were childhood friends from Hampshire, England) that attended the Yateley School together) originally consisted of five people and were called Catch 22.

After bassist Phill Harrison left to join the fire brigade, the band was down to a quartet which consisted of singer David Glasper (born on January 4, 1965 in Cardigan, Mid Wales), guitarist Marcus Lillington (born on February 28, 1967 in London), drummer Ian “Spike” Spice (born on September 18, 1966) and bass guitarist Michael “Mick” Delahunty.

In 1984, Breathe began working on demos which were later introduced to the personnel from Siren Records which led to them getting a record deal with A&M Records.
In 1985, the band released their debut single “Don’t Tell Me Lies” which originally peaked at #77 on the U.K. Singles chart, but after their debut album was released, the single was re-issued and peaked at #45 on the U.K. Singles chart in 1989.

In the United States, the song peaked at #10 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #5 on Billboard’s Adult Contemporary chart.
In 1987, Breathe released their second single “Hands to Heaven” became their biggest hit to date, peaking at #4 on the U.K. Singles chart and also peaked at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and Adult Contemporary chart.
In April of 1988, the band released their debut album “All That Jazz” which peaked at #34 on the Billboard 200 and #22 on the U.K. Albums chart.

During that same year, Michael left the band, leaving David, Marcus & Spike to promote the album & singles as a trio.
The third single from the album “Jonas” was only released in the United Kingdom and managed to peak at #60 on the U.K. Singles chart.
The album’s fourth single “How Can I Fall” became another pop hit for Breathe, peaking at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and topped Billboard’s Adult Contemporary chart for 2 weeks in November of 1988. In the U.K., the song peaked at #48 on the U.K. Singles chart.

The last two singles from the album “Any Trick” and “All This I Should Have Known” didn’t chart at all.

In August of 1990, Breathe released their sophomore album “Peace of Mind” which peaked at #116 on the Billboard 200, but failed to chart in the United Kingdom.
The first single from the album “Say Hello” peaked at #87 on the U.K. Singles chart.
The follow-up single “Say a Prayer” fared better in the United States, where it peaked at #21 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #3 on Billboard’s Adult Contemporary chart, but peaked at a low #93 on the U.K. Singles chart.
The last single released from the album “Does She Love That Man” peaked at #34 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #17 on Billboard’s Adult Contemporary chart.

Due to lack of record label promotion, Breathe later disbanded. In 2000, Ian “Spike” Spice passed away.

These days, Marcus Lillington & former member Phill Harrison perform together in a band called Stroke the Toad. Marcus also works at a web design firm called Headscape and co-hosts a web design podcast on Boagworld.com.

In the last few years, David Glasper made some demos on YouTube and as of 2012, he was playing music in southeast Asia. It’s unknown what Michael Delahunty is up to these days since leaving the band.

To see the music video for “Don’t Tell Me Lies,” go to:

To see the music video for “Hands to Heaven,” go to:

To see the music video for “Jonah,” go to:

To see the music video for “How Can I Fall,” go to:

To see a fan-made video for “Any Trick,” go to:

To see the music video for “All This I Should Have Known,” go to:

To see the music video for “Say Hello,” go to:

To see the music video for “Say a Prayer,” go to:

To see the music video for “Does She Love That Man?”,” go to:

Shocky Shay

Shocky Shay (born Charlene Simmons from the Bronx, New York) is a female hip-hop rapper from the late ’80s.

Not a lot of information is given about her, but she was signed to Orpheus Records and worked with Funkmaster Flash & Marley Mark.
In 1988, she released her debut single “Pass the Salt & Pepper.” It’s unknown how or if the single made the charts at all.
A year later in 1989, Shocky Shay released her debut album, “No Joke” which managed to peak at #70 on Billboard’s R&B Albums chart.
The follow-up single “Your Man’s Alright” didn’t appear to make any music charts at all.
After that, not much was heard from Shocky Shay until about 2011 when she released the single “Deadbeat Dads” on CD Baby.

These days, it appears as if Shocky Shay is still active in the music business and continues to record music.

To see a fan-made video for “Your Man’s Alright,” go to:

Mtume

Mtume (pronounced “em-tu-may”) was an R&B\funk group from New York.

The original line-up consisted of singer\percussionist\keyboardist James Mtume (born on September 27, 1946 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania), singer Tawatha Agee, keyboardist Hubert Eaves III (born in St. Paul, Minnesota), guitarist Reggie Lucas (born Reginald Grant Lewis on February 25, 1953), drummer Howard King and bassist Basil Fearington.

During the beginning of their career, they recorded three albums on the independent record label Third Street Records, but after being unable to find success, they signed to Epic Records in 1978.
In November of 1978, Mtume released their debut album “Kiss This World Goodbye.” It’s unknown how or if the album made the charts at all.
The only single released from the album was “Just Funnin'” which peaked at #93 on Billboard’s Hot Soul Singles chart, staying on the chart for only 5 weeks.
In 1980, they released their second album “In Search of the Rainbow Seekers” which peaked at #119 on the Billboard 200 chart and #30 on Billboard’s R&B Albums chart.
The lead single from the album “Give It On Up (If You Want To),” peaked at #26 on Billboard’s Hot Soul Singles chart (staying on the chart for 12 weeks) and #30 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Music\Club Play Singles chart.
The follow-up single “So You Wanna Be a Star” peaked at #60 on Billboard’s Hot Soul Singles chart (staying on the chart for 10 weeks) and #52 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Music\Club Play Singles chart.

By 1982, Mtume consisted of James Mtume, Tawatha Agee, bassist Raymond Jackson, keyboardist Philip Field, guitarist Ed “Tree” Moore and drummer Leslie Ming.
During that same year, they released their third album “Juicy Fruit” which peaked at #26 on the Billboard 200 and #3 on Billboard’s R&B Albums chart.
The title song became Mtume’s biggest hit to date, peaking at #45 on the Billboard Hot 100 and topped Billboard’s Black Singles chart for 8 weeks. It also peaked at #30 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Music\Club Play Singles chart.

The song has been sampled by various artists such as the Notorious B.I.G., Wreckx-in-Effect, Jennifer Lopez, R. Kelly, Keyshia Cole and Tamar Braxton. It was also certified Gold by the RIAA.
The follow-up single “Would You Like To (Fool Around)” peaked at #11 on Billboard’s Black Singles chart, staying on the chart for 17 weeks.
The last single from the album “Green Light” peaked at #66 on Billboard’s Black Singles chart, staying on the chart for only 6 weeks.
In 1984, Mtume released their fourth album “You, Me and He” which peaked at #77 on the Billboard 200 and #5 on Billboard’s R&B Albums chart.
The title song peaked at #83 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #2 on Billboard’s Black Singles chart, staying on the chart for 22 weeks.
The follow-up single “C.O.D. (I’ll Deliver)” peaked at #20 on Billboard’s Hot Black Singles chart, staying on the chart for 15 weeks.
In 1986, the group released their last album “Theater of the Mind” which peaked at #135 on the Billboard 200 and #23 on Billboard’s R&B Albums chart.
The first single from the album “Breathless” peaked at #9 on Billboard’s Hot Black Singles chart and the remixed version of the song peaked at #13 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Music\Maxi-Singles Sales chart.
The second single “P.O.P. (Pursuits of Pleasure) Generation” peaked at #39 on Billboard’s Hot Black Singles chart, staying on the chart for 9 weeks.
The last single from the album “Body and Soul (Take Me)” peaked at #71 on Billboard’s Hot Black Singles chart, staying on the chart for only 5 weeks.

After that, Mtume disbanded. Tawatha Agee went on to pursue a solo career and scored a few moderate hits on the R&B chart. These days, she is now a background singer.

James Mtume has written songs for various artists such as Roberta Flack, Teddy Pendergrass, Mary J. Blige, Phyllis Hyman and Stephanie Mills. He and Reggie Lucas won a Grammy Award for “Best R&B Song” for writing & producing Stephanie’s 1980 hit song “Never Knew Love Like This Before.”

Reggie Lucas helped produce Madonna’s debut album and also produced music for artists such as Roy Ayers, the Four Tops, the Bar-Kays, Rebbie Jackson and Elisa Fiorillo. He also composed the music & theme song to the FOX network television series “New York Undercover.”

Hubert Eaves III has appeared as a performer, producer & songwriter on various artists’ albums such as Cheryl Lynn, Constina, Stephanie Mills, The Spinners, Jocelyn Brown, Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston & Luther Vandross.

It’s unknown what the other members of Mtume are up to these days.

To see a fan-made video for “Just Funnin’,” go to:

To see a fan-made video for “Give It On Up (If You Want To),” go to:

To see a fan-made video for “So You Wanna Be a Star,” go to:

To see the music video for “Juicy Fruit,” go to:

To see a fan-made video for “Would You Like To (Fool Around),” go to:

To see a fan-made video for “Green Light,” go to:

To see the music video for “You, Me and He,” go to:

To see a fan-made video for “C.O.D. (I’ll Deliver),” go to:

To see a fan-made video for “Breathless,” go to:

To see the music video for “P.O.P. (Pursuits of Pleasure) Generation,” go to:

To see a fan-made video for “Body & Soul (Take Me),” go to:

Eighth Wonder

Eighth Wonder was a British pop band from the ’80s that was formed by guitarist Jamie Kensit (born in 1963 from England) and his sister, singer\actress Patsy Kensit (born on March 4, 1968 in Hounslow, London, England).

The band’s original name was called Spice and originally consisted of Patsy, Jamie, guitarist Geoff Beauchamp, bassist Lawrence Lewis, drummer Jake Walters and percussionist Nigel Davis. They made their live debut in 1983 and spent the next year playing gigs hoping to get some attention from record labels.

In late 1984, Nigel Davis left the band and keyboardist Alex Godson joined the band. The band renamed themselves Eighth Wonder and Patsy began writing songs for them.

In November of 1984, Eighth Wonder performed their first gig in Wimbledon, London and during one of their gigs, Patsy was offered a role in the 1986 musical film “Absolute Beginners” and the band contributed a song to the film’s soundtrack.
In April of 1985, the band was signed to CBS Records. In October of that same year, they released their first single “Stay With Me” which peaked at #65 on the U.K. Singles chart, but topped the charts in Japan & peaked at #4 in Italy.

Shortly after the single’s release, Lawrence Lewis and Jake Walters left the band & Eighth Wonder began using drum machines & keyboards for their bass sound.

In August of 1986, Eighth Wonder traveled to Los Angeles, California to record new songs for their debut album & worked with music producer Mike Chapman (who is well-known for working with Blondie).
In February of 1987, the band released their second single “Will You Remember” which topped the charts in Japan again, reached the top 10 in Italy and peaked at #83 on the U.K. Singles chart.
Their third single “When the Phone Stops Ringing” became Eighth Wonder’s third number-one hit in Japan and peaked at #26 in Italy, but failed to make the charts in the U.K.
During that same year, the band released a Japanese exclusive mini-album called “Brilliant Dreams” which contained their first three singles & b-sides. While finishing up their debut album, Alex Godson was replaced by Steve Grantley.
In February of 1988, Eighth Wonder released their fourth single “I’m Not Scared” which peaked at #7 on the UK Singles chart and became a top 10 hit in every country in Europe.
In June of 1988, the band released their fifth single “Cross My Heart” which peaked at #13 on the U.K. Singles chart.

In the United States, the song peaked at #56 on the Billboard Hot 100 (becoming their only highest appearance on the Hot 100 to date), #10 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Music\Club Play Singles chart and #15 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Music\Maxi-Singles Sales chart.
In July of 1988, the band released their debut album, “Fearless” which peaked at #47 on the U.K. Albums chart and #8 on the album charts in Japan. It also managed to chart in Germany, Sweden & Switzerland.
The sixth single from the album “Baby Baby” peaked at #65 on the UK Singles chart, #2 in Japan, #84 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #17 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Music\Club Play Singles chart.
In 1989, Eighth Wonder released their last single “Use Me” which peaked at #3 in Japan. After that, the band went their separate ways & Patsy Kensit began focusing on her acting career.

These days, Patsy continues to act. She starred in television shows such as “Emmerdale” and “Holby City.” In 2015, she appeared in Series 15 on “Celebrity Big Brother.”

Steve Grantley is a drummer for punk rock band Stiff Little Fingers. He has also played drums for Julian Lennon, Alicia Keys and the Clash along with writing two books as well.

It’s unknown what the other members of Eighth Wonder are up to these days.

To see a fan-made video for “Stay With Me,” go to:

To see the music video for “Will You Remember?”, go to:

To see a fan-made video for “When The Phone Stops Ringing,” go to:

To see the music video for “I’m Not Scared,” go to:

To see a fan-made video for “Cross My Heart,” go to:

To see a fan-made video for “Baby Baby,” go to:

To see a fan-made video for “Use Me,” go to: