Dodge City Productions (DCP) were a

British hip hop British hip hop, also known as UK hip hop or UK rap, is a genre of music, and a culture that covers a variety of styles of hip hop music made in the United Kingdom. It is generally classified as one of a number of styles of R&B/Hip-Hop. Britis ...

/ acid jazz group based in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

formed by IG Culture (real name Ian Grant) and DJ Dodge (real name Roger Drakes). They were one of the leaders of the acid jazz movement, and also received acclaim and success for their remixes, usually done as "City Lick". The group split in the early 1990s, and both members went to have further success in the music industry as solo artists.

History

The group formed in 1991, and signed to the

4th & Broadway 4th & B'way Records (pronounced and spelled out completely as Fourth and Broadway Records in the UK) is a US-based subsidiary of Island Records that specialised in street-oriented music such as hip hop. Established in 1984, it was the flagsh ...

record label, their first release being the single "Ain't Going For That" (1992). Further singles followed, and then the group released their debut album ''Steppin' Up and Out'' (4th and Broadway, 1993). At this time, the British scene was split between the hardcore music of groups like Hardnoise and

Gunshot A gunshot is a single discharge of a gun, typically a man-portable firearm, producing a visible flash, a powerful and loud shockwave and often chemical gunshot residue. The term can also refer to a ballistic wound caused by such a discharg ...

and the more

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

influenced style of groups like the

Young Disciples Young Disciples was a British / American acid jazz band, formed in London in 1990 by Carleen Anderson ( vocals and keyboards), Marco Nelson (bass, guitar and organ) and Femi Williams (percussion and programming). Their most famous hit was th ...

Outlaw Posse Outlaw Posse was a British hip hop group formed by Bello B (real name Isaac Bello) and K-Gee (real name Karl Gordon). They also recorded together as Outlaw and Brothers Like Outlaw, before the group finally split in 1992. Biography K-Gee started o ...

. DCP had strong ties to the British hip hop scene, and the album featured guest vocals from Bello B of Outlaw Posse and MCM of

Caveman The caveman is a stock character representative of primitive humans in the Paleolithic. The popularization of the type dates to the early 20th century, when Neanderthals were influentially described as "simian" or " ape-like" by Marcellin Bo ...

. The group were also much in demand as remixers, providing remixes under the name of "City Lick" for respected artists like

Gang Starr Gang Starr was an American hip hop duo, consisting of Texas record producer DJ Premier and Massachusetts rapper Guru. For the entirety of their association, they were based out of Brooklyn, New York. Gang Starr was at its height from 1989 to 2 ...

and

Digital Underground Digital Underground was an American alternative hip hop group from Oakland, California. Their personnel changed and rotated with each album and tour. Digital Underground's leader and mainstay was Gregory " Shock G" Jacobs (also known as Humpty H ...

. Both Grant and Drakes continued to have successful remixing careers long after the DCP partnership was dissolved, following the release of their debut album.

Later careers

Following the split of DCP, Grant decided that he wanted to try his hand at running a record label for British artists, an idea that he had had whilst still a member of the group. This started with the creation of the One Drop Interrouter label, and led to Grant becoming well known both as label runner, producer and artist in his own right. He has worked under a variety of

pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name (orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individua ...

s in his career, but usually retains the name IG Culture. Drakes, meanwhile, continued to remix and produce under the DJ Dodge name, travelling all over the world and gaining residencies in many respected clubs. He was the official DJ with

Trevor Nelson Trevor Ricardo Nelson, MBE (born 7 January 1964) is an English DJ and presenter. Early life Born in the London Borough of Hackney to a family of St Lucian heritage, Nelson attended Central Foundation Boys' Grammar School (now known as Centr ...

MTV Lick MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

parties for five years, and was nominated for the Best Club DJ

MOBO The MOBO Awards (Music of Black Origin, also known as the MOBOs) are an annual British music award presentation honouring achievements in " music of black origin", including hip hop, grime, UK Drill, R&B, soul, reggae, jazz, gospel, and ...

award three years running. In 1999 he received a Mobo best Producer nomination for the top 20 hit by Beverley Knight 'Made It back' He also received an Urban Music Seminar contribution award in 2000. Most recently, he has gained a monthly residency at the Ministry of Sound and also his own radio show on Smooth FM. He also records and produces for his own record label, Baby Angel Recordings.

Discography

Album

* 1993 ''Steppin Up and Out'' 4th & Broadway

Singles/EPs

* 1991 "Ain't Goin For That" * 1992 ''The Clarity EP (The Road in Front of Me)'' * 1992 "As Long As We're Around" * 1992 "Unleash Your Love"

References

External links

Heroes of UK Hip Hop's DCP page

Discogs DCP page

DJ Dodge's home page
{{Authority control Acid jazz ensembles English hip hop groups