Redhead Kingpin and the F.B.I. was an American hip hop/

new jack swing New jack swing, new jack, or swingbeat is a fusion genre of the rhythms and production techniques of hip hop and dance-pop, and the urban contemporary sound of R&B. Spearheaded by producers Teddy Riley and Bernard Belle, new jack swing was mos ...

group best known for its debut single and highest-charting song, "

Do the Right Thing ''Do the Right Thing'' is a 1989 American comedy-drama film produced, written, and directed by Spike Lee. It stars Lee, Danny Aiello, Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee, Richard Edson, Giancarlo Esposito, Bill Nunn, John Turturro, and Samuel L. Jackson, a ...

" from its album ''A Shade of Red'', which peaked at No. 13 on 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 ...

in 1989. The song was featured on the soundtrack of

Wes Craven Wesley Earl Craven (August 2, 1939 – August 30, 2015) was an American film director, screenwriter, producer, actor, and editor. Craven has commonly been recognized as one of the greatest masters of the horror genre due to the cultural imp ...

's horror film ''

The People Under the Stairs ''The People Under the Stairs'' is a 1991 American horror comedy film written and directed by Wes Craven and starring Brandon Adams, Everett McGill, Wendy Robie, and A. J. Langer. The plot follows a young boy and two adult robbers who become tra ...

''.

Career

The group was led by emcee David "Redhead" Guppy (an actual redhead), who also played keyboards. The F.B.I. consisted of Joseph "D.J. Wildstyle" Mann, Bo Roc, Lt. Squeak, Buzz, and Poochie. ''A Shade of Red'' contained two other singles, "Pump It, Hottie", which reached No. 2 on the US Hot Rap Singles Chart in 1990, and "We Rock the Mic Right". The album was produced by Redhead and Markell Riley from the duo

Wreckx-N-Effect Wreckx-n-Effect (originally Wrecks-n-Effect) is an American new jack swing group from Harlem, New York City most known for their No. 1 Rap songs, " New Jack Swing" & their multi-platinum hit " Rump Shaker". History Wrecks-n-Effect was founded ...

(the younger brother of producer

Teddy Riley Edward Theodore Riley (born October 8, 1967) is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer credited with the creation of the New Jack Swing genre. Riley credits Barry Michael Cooper with giving the genre its name.Hogan, Paul. " Tedd ...

) and was heavily influenced by the

trend at the time. In 1991, the group released its second and final album, ''The Album with No Name''. Recorded at Hillside Studios, Englewood, New Jersey, and Soundtracks Studios, New York, ''The Album with No Name'' peaked at No. 182 on the ''Billboard'' 200, while the song "3-2-1 Pump" reached No. 52 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. The group also appeared on a track of the soundtrack of the 1991 film ''

New Jack City ''New Jack City'' is a 1991 American action crime film based upon an original story and written by Thomas Lee Wright and Barry Michael Cooper, and directed by Mario Van Peebles in his feature film directorial debut. Released in the United Stat ...

''. That same year, Guppy made his acting debut in the film '' Strictly Business'', which also starred

Halle Berry Halle Maria Berry (; born Maria Halle Berry; August 14, 1966) is an American actress. She began her career as a model and entered several beauty contests, finishing as the first runner-up in the Miss USA pageant and coming in sixth in the Mis ...

. In 1992, Guppy co-wrote the song " Two Can Play That Game", which was recorded by

Bobby Brown Robert Barisford Brown (born February 5, 1969) is an American singer, songwriter and dancer. Brown, alongside frequent collaborator Teddy Riley, is noted as one of the pioneers of new jack swing: a fusion of hip hop and R&B. Brown started h ...

on his album, ''

Bobby Bobby or Bobbie may refer to: People * Bobby (given name), a list of names * Bobby (actress), from Bangladesh * Bobby (rapper) (born 1995), from South Korea * Bobby (screenwriter) (born 1983), Indian screenwriter * Bobby, old slang for a constabl ...

''. In 1993, Redhead Kingpin returned with Gicci Brown, D.J. Wildstyle, and Knowledge to form a new group called Private Investigators. Private Investigators had a harder-edged hip hop sound, and released one album titled ''React Like Ya Knew'' on Virgin/EMI. In 2000, Redhead Kingpin produced a track on the '' Nutty Professor II: The Klumps'' soundtrack entitled "No (You Didn't Say)" by Kandice Love. In 2006, Redhead Kingpin was featured on the

Nas Nas (born 1973) is the stage name of American rapper Nasir Jones. Nas, NaS, or NAS may also refer to: Aviation * Nasair, a low-cost airline carrier and subsidiary based in Eritrea * National Air Services, an airline in Saudi Arabia ** Nas Air ( ...

single "

Where Are They Now {{about, the Cock Sparrer song, other uses, Where Are They Now? (disambiguation) "Where Are They Now" is a song recorded by English Oi!/ punk rock band Cock Sparrer in 1982, from their album ''Shock Troops''. The lyrics comment on the previous s ...

Discography

Albums

Singles

References

External links

*
"Do the Right Thing" Video

"Mash up the Mic" by Private Investigators Video
{{Authority control Virgin Records artists American hip hop groups New jack swing music groups Five percenters