2 Skinnee J's (alternatively spelled Two Skinnee J's or Too Skinnee J's) is an American

hip hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...

band from

Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

, whose music has been categorized as

nerdcore Nerdcore is a genre of hip hop music characterized by subject matter considered of interest to nerds and geeks. Self-described nerdcore musician MC Frontalot has the earliest known recorded use of the term (to describe this genre) in the 2000 ...

and

rap rock Rap rock is a music genre that developed from the early to mid-1980s, when hip hop DJs incorporated rock records into their routines and rappers began incorporating original and sampled rock instrumentation into hip hop music. Rap rock is co ...

. The band was founded in 1991 by Special J (vocals), Rabbi J-Slim (vocals), Joey Viturbo (guitar), Sammy B (bass guitar), DJ Casper (keyboards), and Andy Action (drums). With numerous line-up changes, the band was active through the 1990s until 2003, when they officially disbanded. The group recorded several demos, 2 EPs, and 3 studio albums; '' SuperMercado!'' on

Capricorn Records Capricorn Records was an independent record label founded by Phil Walden and Frank Fenter in 1969 in Macon, Georgia. Capricorn Records is often credited by music historians as creating the southern rock genre. History Label and studio fou ...

, '' Volumizer'' on

Volcano Records Volcano Entertainment (sometimes referred to as Volcano Records) is an American all-round music record label founded in 1996 which released albums by Tool (band), Tool, 311 (band), 311, Survivor (band), Survivor and "Weird Al" Yankovic. (The latt ...

, and ''Sexy Karate'' on Dolphins vs. Unicorns. The band went through several key membership changes before its breaking up in 2003, although they briefly reunited for reunion tours in 2005, 2008, 2010 and 2012.

History

2 Skinnee J's formed in 1991 at

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. The original line-up was Special J and Rabbi J-Slim (vocals), Joey Viturbo (guitar), Sammy B (bass), DJ Casper (keyboards), and Andy Action (drums). Their first independent release was on cassette, titled ''6 Songs for 5 Bucks''. They attracted a fan following through heavy touring in their early years. A second cassette release entitled ''American Heroes'', was released in 1994 with the band titled "Too Skinnee J's". Several personnel changes saw original rapper J-Slim bass player Sammy B and guitarist Joey Viturbo part with the band; whilst J Guevara (formerly of Canadian ska band Me Mom and Morgentaler) and Stevie Spice (of Connecticut ska band Spicy Gribblets) were recruited. Former bassist Sammy B rejoined the band in 1995 as a guitarist and using the name King Vitamin. They started to break into the mainstream in 1998 after signing with Capricorn and releasing '' SuperMercado!'', which found airplay on modern-rock radio stations. 2 Skinnee J's performed at Woodstock '99 and later criticized the event. Relations soured with Capricorn and the label delayed release of the second album on 2 Skinnee J's two-album contract, ''Volumizer'', produced by Mickey Petralia, for two years after it was recorded. The label folded and the band's contract was bought by Volcano Records. When the album was officially released in 2002, many critics refused to review it again as they had reviewed a pre-release version years earlier. Rockworthy says the delay and its fallout, which left the band without a label, were a major problem and contributed to their decision to break up in 2003. ''Sexy Karate'' was released on indie label Dolphins vs Unicorn that year, before their farewell tour in 2003. They returned for a "Five Nights of Fury" tour in 2005 and another five-show reunion tour in 2008. In 2009 the band website announced the September premier of ''Get In The Van'', a film shot during the 2008 reunion tour. Special J, Eddie Eyeball, Lance Rockworthy and Andy Action got together for the band's next reunion tour, billed as "acoustically-charged, tell-all brawls," of which there were seven dates between February 12 and April 16, 2010. These shows were held at small, intimate venues, and featured heavy audience participation, through Q&A sessions and singalongs. In between acoustic versions of selections from their entire catalog of songs, each band member told stories about how songs were written, life on the road and the evolution of the band. J Guevara was scheduled to join the band for two of the April shows, and several hints were dropped about plans for a "full-on electric" tour to follow in summer 2010.

Members

Timeline

Discography

Albums

*'' SuperMercado!'' (1998) *'' Volumizer'' (2002) *''Sexy Karate'' (2003)

EPs

*''6 Songs for 5 Bucks'' (1993) *''American Heroes'' (1994) *''Return of the New & Improved'' (1995) *''Sing, Earthboy, Sing!'' (1997)

Live and compilations

*''Live at Lakewood Amphitheatre 09/18/1999 '' *''Live At the Blue Note 11/14/2000 '' *''718: Live Farewell Extravaganza'' *''Enter the Gold Hat: Sexy Karate Live!'' *''The Good, The Bad & The Serious!'' *''The Big Green Book''

References

External links

* 2 Skinnee J'son AllMusic Guide {{DEFAULTSORT:2 Skinnee J's American rap rock groups Musical groups from Brooklyn Nerdcore artists Musical groups established in 1991 Capricorn Records artists 1991 establishments in New York City