Sporty Thievz is a

Yonkers, New York Yonkers () is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States. Developed along the Hudson River, it is the third most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City and Buffalo. The population of Yonkers was 211,569 as enu ...

-based hip-hop duo—originally a trio—composed of King Kirk (a.k.a. Thieven Stealburg), Big Dubez (a.k.a. Safecracker) and Marlon Bryant Brando (March 19, 1979 – May 11, 2001; a.k.a. Robin Hood). allmusic ((( Sporty Thievz > Biography )))/ref> They are notable for their

parody A parody, also known as a spoof, a satire, a send-up, a take-off, a lampoon, a play on (something), or a caricature, is a creative work designed to imitate, comment on, and/or mock its subject by means of satiric or ironic imitation. Often its subj ...

TLC TLC may refer to: Arts and entertainment Television * ''TLC'' (TV series), a 2002 British situational comedy television series that aired on BBC2 * TLC (TV network), formerly the Learning Channel, an American cable TV network ** TLC (Asia), an As ...

's hit "No Scrubs" titled "

No Pigeons "No Pigeons" is the second and final single by Sporty Thievz, released from their 1999 album ''Street Cinema''. A rebuttal to TLC's smash hit single "No Scrubs", it received heavy radio play at the time of its release and peaked at #12 on the U.S ...

", which attempted to tell things from the male perspective, and their song "Hit It Up" on the soundtrack to '' The Best Man''. They are also known for satirically providing a male counterpoint to the female-oriented R&B music popularised in the late 1990s and early 2000s, something that was not done by any other group at the time. The group have been acknowledged for their lyrical skill, also making other notable hits such as "Cheapskate", which also has a music video and was released under

Ruffhouse Records Ruffhouse Records is an American record label founded in 1989 by Chris Schwartz and Joe Nicolo as a joint venture with Columbia Records. In 1999, Schwartz and Nicolo closed the label, and Schwartz and Kevon Glickman continued with RuffNation Re ...

In 1998, their album ''

Street Cinema ''Street Cinema'' is the first and only album by the American hip hop group Sporty Thievz. Background ''Street Cinema'' was released on August 18, 1998, through Ruffhouse Records and was co-produced by Ski (producer), Ski and Sporty Thievz member ...

'' was released on Roc-A-Bloc/Ruffhouse Records. The majority of the production was handled by Ski, famous for his work on

Jay-Z Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and founder of Manhattan-based conglomerate talent and entertainment agency Roc Nation. He is regarded as one of ...

's '' Reasonable Doubt''. It had a unique concept in which every track had its own storyline that could also serve as a premise for a movie. This concept would reprise a decade later on rapper Ludacris's 2008 album, ''

Theater of the Mind ''Theater of the Mind'' is the sixth studio album by American hip hop music, hip hop recording artist Ludacris. It was released in the UK on November 21, 2008 and in the US on November 24, 2008 and on other release dates throughout the world, th ...

''. They did not get much airplay until the "No Pigeons" single was released, which hit #16 in the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

and stayed on that chart for six weeks. ''Street Cinema'' was re-released with "No Pigeons" appearing as a bonus track. In an attempt to capitalize, Sporty Thievz also released a rebuttal to

Destiny's Child Destiny's Child was an American girl group whose final line-up comprised Beyoncé Knowles, Kelly Rowland, and Michelle Williams. The group began their musical career as Girl's Tyme, formed in 1990 in Houston, Texas. After years of limited ...

's hits " Bills, Bills, Bills" (written by the same songwriter as "No Scrubs", Kandi Burruss) and "

Independent Women "Independent Women Part I" is a song recorded by American group Destiny's Child for the soundtrack to the 2000 film adaptation of the television program ''Charlie's Angels''. It was written and produced by production duo Poke & Tone, consisting ...

". The "Bills Bills Bills" rebuttal, entitled "Can't Pay Your Bills", demands "I need a lady working 9-5 to help her man out" (not to be confused with the track entitled "No Billz (Why, Why, Why?)" in which the group "humorously" questions "Why we gotta spend, because we men?"). In the "Independent Women" rebuttal "Independent Men" they consider the unfairness of child support, stating "She won't let me see my seed acting like it's funny, She gettin' her hair done with that diaper money". The group contributed to the Rawkus Records 2000 compilation ''

Hip Hop for Respect ''Hip Hop for Respect'' was a 2000 project which released one EP for Rawkus Records. It was organized by Mos Def and Talib Kweli to speak out against police brutality in general, and the case of Amadou Diallo in particular. History Amadou Dial ...

'', a project put together by Mos Def and Talib Kweli to put out an EP recording 41 emcees in

protest A protest (also called a demonstration, remonstration or remonstrance) is a public expression of objection, disapproval or dissent towards an idea or action, typically a political one. Protests can be thought of as acts of coopera ...

over the 41 shots fired at African immigrant and innocent man,

Amadou Diallo In the early hours of February 4, 1999, an unarmed 23-year-old Guinean student named Amadou Diallo (born September 2, 1975) was fired upon with 41 rounds and shot a total of 19 times by four New York City Police Department plainclothes office ...

, by the NYPD. On May 11, 2001, group member Marlon Bryant Brando was killed after being struck by a car in North Bronx at the age of 22. It is reported that the driver of the car was intoxicated and swerving onto the sidewalk.

Discography

*1998: ''

'' *2000: ''Sporty Thievz'' *2013: "Speak Ya Mind - Cinema, Beats & Brawdz Pt.1 Mixtape" *2013: "The Best of Sporty Thievz Classic Freestyles Mixtape" *2014: "Sporty Thievz Album Street Cinema 2" *2021: "King Kirk Album Dopeman

References

External links

Sporty Thievz's 2013 New WebsiteMyspace profile
{{Authority control American hip hop groups East Coast hip hop groups American musical trios African-American musical groups Musical groups from New York (state) Musical groups established in 1997 1997 establishments in New York (state)