Have you subscribed totheGrios podcastDear Culture? Escape went platinum, and Whodinis next two albums, Back in Black (1986) and Open Sesame (1987), both went gold. Play his music if it moves you, and know hell be hearing you on his way home this day, Dec 23rd., Cards and letters can be sent to TheGrio is now on Apple TV, Amazon Fire, and Roku. I try to be unique. ga('ads.send', { Prominent in hip-hop circles since the earliest days of the movement, he had formerly worked the decks behind The Devastating Two Emcees (a female duo) and the Jazzy Four. UPDATED: John Fletcher, best known as Ecstasy from the pioneering rap group Whodini, has died, the groups Grand Master Dee has confirmed. [Jive] had no money and no contract for him, but [we] threw the rule book out the window when we heard his verse and his voice. Not just a brilliant voice and wordsmith but a ladies man and sex symbol when they were very scarce in the early days of rap. The album ended up being certified for platinum-level sales by the R.I.A.A., selling over one million albums upon its release. they had held a family seat from very ancient times. Escape contained the songs that would become Whodinis seminal hits, notably Friends and Five Minutes of Funk (released as flip sides on the same 12-inch single) and Freaks Come Out at Night., Friends, a skeptical storytelling song about deceit, was a smash in its own right and had a robust afterlife as sample material, most notably on Nas and Lauryn Hills If I Ruled the World (Imagine That)., Five Minutes of Funk which would become even more widely known as the theme music for the long-running hip-hop video show Video Music Box deployed a clever countdown motif woven through the lyrics. Explore Jalil Hutchins's discography including top tracks, albums, and reviews. Mr. Fletcher was also a key innovator in introducing melody to rapping. I tended to be nervous looking at 15000 fans in front of me every night. Later they joined Run DMC, Kurtis Blow, the Fat Boys and Newcleus on a 30 venue New York City Fresh Fest tour, which was so successful it was repeated in 1985. Movies. }); Musician and journalist Questlove broke the news on Wednesday afternoon. Whodini's first LP, Magic's Wand, as per MTV, was a tribute to the New York DJ who fostered the group's early career. Mr. Fletcher in performance in 2017. There is an article on foot binding with links to other websites They were classic hip-hop in every form and Ecstasy was a standout because he would wear a leather wide-brimmed hat. This man was legendary and a pivotal member of one of the most legendary groups in hip hop. But this wasnt it for Hutchins. One was Doug E. Fresh and the other was Ecstacy of Whodini. window.adsContainer = {"position2":{"code":"Article_Mobile_Above_Next_Rel","max_width":300,"max_height":250},"position3":{"code":"Article_Mobile_300x250_ATF_Rel","max_width":300,"max_height":250},"position4":{"code":"Article_Mobile_Middle_Rel","max_width":300,"max_height":250},"position5":{"code":"Article_Mobile_Middle1_Rel","max_width":300,"max_height":250},"position6":{"code":"Article_Mobile_Middle2_Rel","max_width":300,"max_height":250},"position7":{"code":"Article_Mobile_Middle3_Rel","max_width":300,"max_height":250},"position8":{"code":"Article_Mobile_Middle4_Rel","max_width":300,"max_height":250},"position9":{"code":"Article_Mobile_Middle5_Rel","max_width":320,"max_height":250},"position10":{"code":"Article_Mobile_Middle6_Rel","max_width":320,"max_height":250},"position11":{"code":"Article_Mobile_Middle7_Rel","max_width":320,"max_height":250},"position12":{"code":"Article_Mobile_Middle8_Rel","max_width":320,"max_height":250},"position13":{"code":"Article_Mobile_Middle9_Rel","max_width":320,"max_height":250},"position14":{"code":"Article_Mobile_Middle10_Rel","max_width":320,"max_height":250},"position15":{"code":"Article_Mobile_Middle11_Rel","max_width":320,"max_height":250},"position16":{"code":"Article_Mobile_Middle12_Rel","max_width":320,"max_height":250}} He later repaid the favor, signing Whodini to his label, So So Def, on which it released its final album, Six, in 1996. Too many hits! The trio, along with producer Larry Smith, made the first hip-hop records that black radio embraced, veteran writer Nelson George wrote on Twitter Wednesday. This is sad man." The group's Grandmaster Dee later confirmed the news to Variety, but no cause of death. Boards are the best place to save images and video clips. He reportedly died at the age of 56. RIP to Ecstasy from https://t.co/MiqnKeBFeK of the most under appreciated voices in hip hop. Whodini came of age in the late '70s and early '80s, alongside Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, Afrika Bambaataa and Kurtis Blow, some of the first acts to take an emergent hip-hop culture. The group was managed by the rising impresario Russell Simmons and appeared on the inaugural Fresh Fest tour, hip-hops first arena package. In July 1986 they appeared at Philadelphia's Spectrum Stadium in front of an audience of 18,000.They were the first Rap Act and Break Dance troop to Tour in the UK and Europe, with U.T.F.O also appearing with them as their break dance act.They played all over Europe to full venues as no one had seen this kind of music before. News of Fletchers death was first revealed by the Roots Questlove, with many others in the rap community also mourning the death of the Whodini rapper. Indeed, Whodinis breakthrough came the following year with Escape. Produced by Larry Smith (Kurtis Blow, Run-DMC), it included such smashes as Freaks Come Out at Night and the cynical Friends, which is one of the most sampled songs in hip-hop, appearing in tracks by Kanye West, Dr. Dre, Tupac, Nas and more than 150 others. hitType: 'event', Condolences to his fam . Ecstasy, real name John Fletcher, a third of the pioneering hip-hop trio that includes Drew " Grandmaster Dee " Carter and Jalil Hutchins, was known to fans for his resonant voice and . As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. SORELY MISSED! This man was legendary and a pivotal member of one of the most legendary groups in hip hop. window.googletag.pubads().addEventListener('impressionViewable', function(event) { Hutchins, who spent his life singing, had enough time off, and by the early 90s, he convinced his band members to record another album. Q-Tip of A Tribe Called Quest paid tribute to the vocalist, showing appreciation for the streak of hits such as Freaks Come out at Night Five Minutes of Funk and One Love.. Condolences to his fam, he tweeted. This is sad man., RIP to Ecstasy from Whodini. ga('ads.send', { One love to Ecstasy of the legendary #Whodini, he said. Veteran executive Barry Weiss, who signed Whodini to Jive, remembered that time in an Instagram post. [5] The bulk of album was produced by influential German pioneer Conny Plank at his own studio near Cologne, Germany. Whodini also toured Europe before finding true success back in the United States. The Brooklyn, New York-based trio consisted of vocalist and main lyricist Jalil Hutchins; co-vocalist John Fletcher, a.k.a. }) (Mr. Smith was also responsible for Run-DMCs breakout albums.) I tended to be nervous, looking at 15,000 fans in front of me every night. Whodini also became one of the first rap acts to perform with their own dancers. Questlove mourns death, calls group 'most legendary' in hip hop. We were the rap group that kind of bridged the gap between the bands and the rappers, Mr. Fletcher told HipHop40, adding that he and Mr. Hutchins were mindful that hip-hop was still struggling to gain acceptance among radio programmers, and wrote songs accordingly: We wanted to curse, but we couldnt curse.. On May 17, 2011, a deluxe version ofEscapewas released on CD with nine bonus tracks. No cause of death was provided. In 1984, the group releasedEscape, which included "Five Minutes of Funk", "The Freaks Come Out at Night", the instrumental "Featuring Grand Master Dee", "Big Mouth", and the relationship-driven "Friends". Another sister, Mary Eyvette Fletcher, died before him. at the age of 93 she died of old age at the age of 93. In a statement, Jalil Hutchins said: One Love to one of Hip Hops Greatest! Ecstasy, real name John Fletcher, a third of the pioneering hip-hop trio that includes Drew Grandmaster Dee Carter and Jalil Hutchins, was known to fans for his resonant voice and trademark Zorro hat. The trio was signed to Jive Records and signed a contract that obligated them to begin recording and producing albums immediately. RIP to Ecstasy from Whodini.one of the most under appreciated voices in hip hop. This is sad man." Ecstasy formed the group Whodini with Jalil Hutchins in Brooklyn, New York, in. WithOpen Sesame, its final release of the 1980s, the group had turned away from their once-playful simple beats and catchy rhymes of the old school and instead became vocally more harder and more instrument-driven, with guitars and horns and bells. Learn all about Jalil Hutchins on AllMusic. They were a bit different from Run-D.M.C in that they didnt incorporate rock into their music but they did blend hip-hop and R&B seamlessly. Jalil Hutchins was born on November 29, 1964, in the United States. 's early work. John Ecstasy Fletcher was a beloved man, the life partner to Deltonia and ex-husband to Carla, twin brother to Joseph, artist, friend, and lifetime performing partner to the Legendary Jalil of Whodini, the statement continues. The group debuted with the single , releasing its first single The group managed by Russell Simmons, who also managed Kurtis Blow and the then-nascent Run-DMC debuted with the single Magics Wand, a savvy tribute to early hip-hop DJ Mr. Magic and followed with a self-titled album (including production from white electronic music artists Conny Plank and Thomas Dolby) in 83. }); eventAction: 'view' Synthpop and electro pioneer Thomas Dolby helped produce another of its singles, "Magics Wand", which was originally conceived as an advertisement for prominent radio jock Mr. Magic, who worked for New Yorks WBLS radio. This is sad man.. For its follow-up album, Escape (1984), Whodini began working with the producer Larry Smith, who amplified its sound and gave it a bit of appealing scuff. Grandmaster Dee. After signing with the then-London-based label Jive, Whodini traveled to Europe to record their first, self-titled album, which was in part produced by She Blinded Me With Science hitmaker Thomas Dolby and krautrock legend Conny Plank. Jermaine Dupri's verse in "Welcome to Atlanta" samples the intro to "Five Minutes of Funk". All Rights Reserved. }) But hip-hop loved and adored Ecstasy and Jalil and Grandmaster Dee because they told real-life stories with a really funky beat, Creekmur continued. The groups hits include Friends, Five Minutes of Funk, and Freaks Come Out at Night. In the mid-1980s, Whodini made up initially of Mr. Fletcher (whose hip-hop name was sometimes rendered Ecstacy) and Jalil Hutchins, who were later joined by the D.J. reporters on a platform technologically tailored to meet the needs of the modern reader. document.querySelector("#google_image_div").addEventListener('click',function(){ But I heard somebody rap one day and I said to myself, I can do that. I rap in pitch.