A Lighter Shade of Brown (LSOB) was an American
hip hop duo from
Riverside, California best known for their 1990 hit single "On a Sunday Afternoon", a success in the U.S., written by songwriters and musicians David Dunson and Micah Carson.
History
LSOB was formed in 1989 by One Dope Mexican (Robert Gutierrez) and Don't Try To Xerox (Bobby Ramirez).
[ Biography Allmusic.com] They recorded demos and landed a record deal soon after with small independent label Pump. Their debut album, 1990's ''Brown and Proud'', brought the group their lone Top 40 single in the U.S. with "On A Sunday Afternoon," which contained samples of
The Young Rascals' 1967 hit "
Groovin' " and
Tommy James and the Shondells' 1969 hit "
Crystal Blue Persuasion
"Crystal Blue Persuasion" is a 1969 song originally recorded by Tommy James and the Shondells and composed by Eddie Gray, Tommy James and Mike Vale.
Background
A gentle-tempoed groove, "Crystal Blue Persuasion" was built around a prominent orga ...
", and peaked at #39 on the
''Billboard'' Hot 100. The song also went to #1 for 2 weeks in
New Zealand.
The duo provided songs for Latino-market movies such as ''
Mi Vida Loca'' and ''
I Like It Like That'' following the release of their second LP, 1992's ''Hip Hop Locos'', which failed to chart. The success of "Sunday Afternoon" nonetheless resulted in
Mercury Records signing the group and releasing their third disc, ''Layin' in the Cut'', in 1994. The record did not sell as well as was hoped, peaking at #184 on the
''Billboard'' 200 albums chart.
LSOB went on a temporary hiatus,
[ returning in 1997 on indie with Greenside Records. Their self-titled fourth album featured guest appearances from Rappin' 4-Tay and Dwayne Wiggins of Tony! Toni! Toné!.
1999 marked the last of their releases, including a greatest hits album and a non-charting single, "Sunny Day." That year, Gutierrez became a DJ at San Bernardino radio station KGGI and Bobby carried on touring as LSOB and working on new music. A decade later, on October 18, 2011, the album ''It's A Wrap'' was released through Illuminated Entertainment Group. The album was produced by Playalitical. Ramirez is the only one out of the group that raps on it, as sort of a one-man Lighter Shade of Brown. The album's radio single "Call Me Over" was produced by Fingazz and featured Playalitical and Zig Zag of the ]NB Ridaz
NB Ridaz was a hip hop group from Arizona formerly known as NBK (Nastyboy Klick).
Overview
The group released several successful singles as Nastyboy Klick in the late 1990s, including "Down for Yours" featuring Roger troutman (1997, U.S. ''B ...
. A music video was also filmed and released for the song.
On July 18, 2016, Don't Try To Xerox died after being in a coma for 11 days.
Discography
Studio albums
Compilation albums
*'' Greatest Hits'' (1999)
Singles
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lighter Shade of Brown
Hip hop groups from California
Musical groups established in 1990
Musical groups disestablished in 2016
American rappers of Mexican descent
Musical groups from Riverside County, California
Culture of Riverside, California
Hip hop duos
Chicano rap
American musical duos