Boogiemonsters were an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

hip hop group composed by

Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

rapper Mondo McCann,

Alaskan Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S. ...

-born Vex Da Vortex (Sean Pollard) and Jamaican-born brothers Myntric (Sean Myers) and Yodared (Ivor "Al" Myers).

Biography

Vex, Myntric and Yodared met in high school in

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

where their families had relocated from

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. They formed a group and began performing together in talent shows. After graduation, Vex and Yodared attended

Virginia State University Virginia State University (VSU or Virginia State) is a public historically Black land-grant university in Ettrick, Virginia. Founded on , Virginia State developed as the United States's first fully state-supported four-year institution of high ...

while Myntric attended

Virginia Union University Virginia Union University is a private historically black Baptist university in Richmond, Virginia. It is affiliated with the American Baptist Churches USA. History The American Baptist Home Mission Society (ABHMS) founded the school as Richm ...

. Fellow Virginia State student McCann was recruited into the group. The group performed at campus shows and won first place at

Howard University Howard University (Howard) is a private, federally chartered historically black research university in Washington, D.C. It is classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity" and accredited by the Middle States Commissi ...

's Hip-Hop Convention. They quickly landed a record deal with Pendulum/EMI and, in 1994, released '' Riders of the Storm: The Underwater Album''. After the release of the first album, the group became

Seventh-day Adventist The Seventh-day Adventist Church is an Adventism, Adventist Protestantism, Protestant Christian denomination which is distinguished by its observance of Saturday, the Names of the days of the week#Numbered days of the week, seventh day of the ...

s. Yodared and Myntric left the group as both felt that the hip hop lifestyle was not in line with their religious convictions. Yodared became the head pastor at the Templeton Hills Seventh-day Adventist Church in

Templeton, California Templeton is a census-designated place (CDP) in San Luis Obispo County, California. The population was 7,674 at the 2010 census, up from 4,687 at the 2000 census. Geography and climate Geography Templeton is located at (35.553847, −120.70 ...

. Pendulum Records ceased operation and EMI was the sole record company for their second album, ''God Sound'' (a darker, mature, hardcore, and pious recording), was released in 1997. After that, appearances were sporadic on compilations and 12 inch singles. The group has disbanded since. In 2008, member Vex Davortex released an instrumental album titled ''VEXSTRUMENTALS''.

Music, lyricism and influences

Boogiemonsters intended to bring depth to the lyrics of hip hop by writing lyrics with stronger substance. '' Riders of the Storm: The Underwater Album'' combined elements of abstract spirituality which combined elements of Christianity,

Rastafari Rastafari, sometimes called Rastafarianism, is a religion that developed in Jamaica during the 1930s. It is classified as both a new religious movement and a social movement by scholars of religion. There is no central authority in control of ...

, Eastern mysticism and African religions to form the content of the album's lyrics; ''

God Sound ''God Sound'' is the second album by the American rap group Boogiemonsters, released in 1997. It was produced by the group and Domingo. It was Boogiemonsters' final album. The album peaked at No. 47 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and No. ...

'' was more openly inspired by Christianity. Group member Ivor Myers has cited

Jim Morrison James Douglas Morrison (December 8, 1943 – July 3, 1971) was an American singer, poet and songwriter who was the lead vocalist of the Rock music, rock band the Doors. Due to his wild personality, poetic lyrics, distinctive voice, unpredicta ...

Pearl Jam Pearl Jam is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1990. The band's lineup consists of founding members Jeff Ament (bass guitar), Stone Gossard (rhythm guitar), Mike McCready (lead guitar), and Eddie Vedder (lead vocals, guita ...

Nirvana ( , , ; sa, निर्वाण} ''nirvāṇa'' ; Pali: ''nibbāna''; Prakrit: ''ṇivvāṇa''; literally, "blown out", as in an oil lampRichard Gombrich, ''Theravada Buddhism: A Social History from Ancient Benāres to Modern Colombo.' ...

De La Soul De La Soul () is an American hip hop trio formed in 1988 in the Amityville area of Long Island, New York. They are best known for their eclectic sampling, quirky lyrics, and their contributions to the evolution of the jazz rap and alternative ...

A Tribe Called Quest A Tribe Called Quest was an American hip hop group formed in Queens, New York City, in 1985,Q-Tip

Yellowman Winston Foster , better known by the stage name Yellowman, is a Jamaican reggae and dancehall deejay, also known as King Yellowman. He first became popular in Jamaica in the 1980s, rising to prominence with a series of singles that established ...

and

Bob Marley Robert Nesta Marley (6 February 1945 – 11 May 1981; baptised in 1980 as Berhane Selassie) was a Jamaican singer, musician, and songwriter. Considered one of the pioneers of reggae, his musical career was marked by fusing elements o ...

as influences on the group's music.

Discography

Studio albums

Singles

*"Strange" (1994) *"Recognized Thresholds of Negative Stress" (1994) *"Honeydips in Gotham" (1995)

References

External links

www.vexdavortex.com
- Home of Vex's Independent Music Label, Confidential Records, Art, & Multimedia (C.R.A.M.)
www.powerofthelamb.com
A ministry ran by "Yodared" and his wife. {{Authority control American Seventh-day Adventists Christian hip hop groups East Coast hip hop groups Musical groups established in 1993 Virginia State University alumni