"Dirty Dawg" is a song by American boyband
NKOTB
New Kids on the Block (also initialized as NKOTB) is an American boy band from Dorchester, Massachusetts. The band consists of brothers Jonathan Knight, Jonathan and Jordan Knight, Joey McIntyre, Donnie Wahlberg, and Danny Wood. New Kids on th ...
(formerly New Kids on the Block), which became their final single to chart on the US
''Billboard'' Hot 100 until the 2008 single "
Summertime". It was featured on their 1994 album ''
Face the Music''. The lead vocals were sung by
Jordan Knight
Jordan Nathaniel Marcel Knight (born May 17, 1970) is an American singer-songwriter and actor. He is a singer in the boy band New Kids on the Block (NKOTB), who rose to fame in the 1980s and 1990s, using a falsetto style of singing influenced by ...
and
Donnie Wahlberg
Donald Edmond Wahlberg Jr. (born August 17, 1969) is an American singer, songwriter, rapper, actor, record producer, and film producer. He is a founding member of the boy band New Kids on the Block. Outside music, he has had roles in the ''Saw ...
rapped in the song, but he rapped only small bits during the instrumental breaks. There was another rap in the song featured by the former
East Coast hip hop
East Coast hip hop is a regional subgenre of hip hop music that originated in New York City during the 1970s. Hip hop is recognized to have originated and evolved first in the Bronx, New York City.
In contrast to other styles, East Coast hip ...
duo
Nice & Smooth
Nice & Smooth is an East Coast hip hop duo from New York City that consists of Gregory O. "Greg Nice" Mays (born May 30, 1967) and Darryl O. "Smooth B" Barnes (born August 3, 1967) plus their deejay Tedd "DJ Teddy Tedd" Whiting. The duo released f ...
.
The song peaked on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 at number 66. It broke the top 40 in the United Kingdom and peaked at number 27.
"Dirty Dawg" contains a sample of "That's the Way Love Goes", as performed by Janet Jackson.
Critical reception
Tony Cross from ''
Smash Hits
''Smash Hits'' was a British music magazine aimed at young adults, originally published by EMAP. It ran from 1978 to 2006, and, after initially appearing monthly, was issued fortnightly during most of that time. The name survived as a brand fo ...
'' gave the song four out of five, writing, "NKOTB have been as reliable as a fake
Rolex
Rolex SA () is a British-founded Swiss watch designer and manufacturer based in Geneva, Switzerland. Founded in 1905 as ''Wilsdorf and Davis'' by Hans Wilsdorf and Alfred Davis in London, the company registered ''Rolex'' as the brand name of ...
recently. But from the moment Dirty Dawg literally barks out of the speakers you'll know they are back. Harder and better than anything else they've done, Dirty Dawg sees the Oldish Kids taking their pop talent, mixing in a dash of
Cypress Hill
Cypress Hill is an American hip hop group from South Gate, California. They have sold over 20 million albums worldwide and have multi-platinum and platinum albums. They are considered to be among the main progenitors of West Coast and 1990 ...
and coming up with a growling groove that
East 17
East 17 are an English pop boy band started by Tony Mortimer, Brian Harvey, John Hendy, and Terry Coldwell in 1991. As of 2020, the group consists of Coldwell, Robbie Craig, and Joe Livermore. East 17 have undergone multiple lineup changes, ...
's Lecy would be proud of."
Music video
The accompanying
music video
A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...
(directed by
Scott Kalvert
Scott Kalvert (August 15, 1964 – March 5, 2014) was an American film director, known mainly for his 1995 film ''The Basketball Diaries (film), The Basketball Diaries'', starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Mark Wahlberg, and 2002's ''Deuces Wild ...
) starts off with a young woman running through the forest with a search dog barking after her. Then the scene switches back and forth from the band attending a party being held at a
brothel
A brothel, bordello, ranch, or whorehouse is a place where people engage in sexual activity with prostitutes. However, for legal or cultural reasons, establishments often describe themselves as massage parlors, bars, strip clubs, body rub par ...
to a construction site where the group raps and dances. Towards the end,
Nice & Smooth
Nice & Smooth is an East Coast hip hop duo from New York City that consists of Gregory O. "Greg Nice" Mays (born May 30, 1967) and Darryl O. "Smooth B" Barnes (born August 3, 1967) plus their deejay Tedd "DJ Teddy Tedd" Whiting. The duo released f ...
appear to give a rap cameo, while the group breakdances.
The
Canadian
Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...
station
MuchMusic
Much (an abbreviation for its full name MuchMusic) is a Canadian English language specialty channel owned by BCE Inc. through its Bell Media subsidiary that airs programming aimed at teenagers and young adults.
MuchMusic launched on August 31 ...
banned the video from appearing on its schedule, due to the suggested violence and misogynistic themes.
Track listings
* US 12" vinyl
#"Dirty Dawg" (LP Version) – 4:12
#"Dirty Dawg" (Radio Version No Rap) – 3:16
#"Dirty Dawg" (Greg Nice Remix) – 4:46
#"Dirty Dawg" (Barbosa / Liggett House Mix) – 7:03
#"Dirty Dawg" (Liggett / Barbosa Hip Hop Mix) – 5:01
* UK limited edition 7" vinyl with poster bag
#"Dirty Dawg" (LP Version) – 4:12
#"Dirty Dawg" (Radio Version No Rap) – 3:16
Charts
References
{{authority control
1994 singles
New Kids on the Block songs
Columbia Records singles
Songs written by Jordan Knight
Songs written by Donnie Wahlberg
1993 songs