Gabriel Jackson (born May 27, 1963), better known by his

stage name A stage name is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. Such professional aliases are adopted for a wide variety of reasons and they may be similar, or nearly identical, to an individu ...

Spoonie Gee, is one of the earliest rap artists, and one of the few to have released rap records in the 1970s. He has been credited with originating the term hip hop and some of the themes in his music were precursors of

gangsta rap Gangsta rap or gangster rap, initially called reality rap, emerged in the mid- to late 1980s as a controversial hip-hop subgenre whose lyrics assert the culture and values typical of American street gangs and street hustlers. Many gangsta rappe ...

Career

Jackson was born in Harlem, New York City, receiving his 'Spoonie' nickname as a child because the spoon was the only utensil that he used to eat with.Larkin, Colin (1999) ''The Virgin Encyclopedia of Dance Music'', Virgin Books, pp. 322–23. Shapiro, Peter (2005) ''The Rough Guide to Hip-Hop'', Rough Guides, pp. 344–45. His mother died when he was twelve years old, and he went to live with his uncle, the record producer Bobby Robinson, in whose apartment he began to practice rapping.Toop, David (1984) ''The Rap Attack: African Jive to New York Hip Hop'', Pluto. His first recording came about after Peter Brown visited Robinson's record store and mentioned that he was looking to make a rap record. Spoonie's name was suggested, and he recorded "Spoonin' Rap", which was released on Brown's Sound of New York, USA imprint, featuring a lyric that included jailhouse references that would later become common in gangsta rap, and with echo applied to his vocals. Spoonie Gee has been described as "the original gangsta rapper". Leland, John (1989)
RECORDINGS; Rap as Public Forum on Matters of Life and Death
, '' The New York Times'', 12 March 1989. retrieved 2010-03-28Leland, John (1990)
HIP HOP FOR BEGINNERS A Parents' Guide to What's Dookie and Fly
, ''

Newsday ''Newsday'' is an American daily newspaper that primarily serves Nassau and Suffolk counties on Long Island, although it is also sold throughout the New York metropolitan area. The slogan of the newspaper is "Newsday, Your Eye on LI", and f ...

'', 26 August 1990. retrieved 2010-03-28 He then recorded for Robinson's

Enjoy! Records Enjoy Records was a record label owned and operated by Bobby Robinson from 1962 through the mid-1980s, and was run out of his record shop at 125th Street and 8th Ave. in Harlem. Starting with blues, R&B, and rock and roll, the label recorded man ...

; his first release for the label being the similarly minimalistic "Love Rap" (on which he was accompanied on

conga The conga, also known as tumbadora, is a tall, narrow, single-headed drum from Cuba. Congas are staved like barrels and classified into three types: quinto (lead drum, highest), tres dos or tres golpes (middle), and tumba or salidor (lowest). ...

s by his brother Pooche Costello), issued on the B-side of the Treacherous Three's "New Rap Language" (on which he also featured), leading to his early nickname of 'The Love Rapper'.Pierson, Richard " Spoonie Gee Biography, Allmusic, retrieved 2010-03-28 Jackson was a founding member of the Treacherous Three, along with L.A. Sunshine and Kool Moe Dee. Although the group added Special K as a member when Jackson left to record his first single, Gee maintained ties and affiliation with the group, and also played a hand in the group getting their first record deal. The group was named Spoonie Gee and the Treacherous Three when Jackson returned for a period before going solo. He left Enjoy! and moved to

Sugar Hill Records Sugar Hill Records is an American bluegrass and Americana record label. It was founded in Durham, North Carolina in 1978 by Barry Poss and David Freeman, the owner of County Records and Rebel Records. Poss acquired full control of Sugar Hil ...

, where he enjoyed further hits with "Spoonie's Back" and the collaboration with the Sequence on "Monster Jam". In 1985, he moved on again to Aaron Fuchs' Tuff City label, on which the majority of his later output was issued, including "That's My Style", on which he attacked Schoolly D for copying his style. By the mid-1980s, he was also working in a rehabilitation centre for people with learning disabilities. His career took off once again in 1987 with his debut album ''The Godfather of Rap'', produced by Marley Marl and Teddy Riley, and issued on the Tuff City label. His career has since been hampered by several spells in prison. In the mid-1990s, a compilation of his work, ''Godfather of Hip Hop'', was issued on the Ol' Skool Flava label. In the mid-2000s, he returned with a new EP, ''The Boss Is Back''. In 2008, "Love Rap" was ranked number 65 on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of Hip Hop.VH1’s 100 Greatest Hip-Hop Songs
, Stereogum.com. retrieved 2010-03-28

Discography

Albums

* ''The Godfather of Rap'' (1987), Tuff City * ''Old and New Jams'' (1989), BCM (compilation) * ''Old and New Jams/The Godfather'' (1993), BCM (compilation) * ''Godfather of Hip Hop'' (1996), Ol' Skool Flava (compilation)

Singles

* "Spoonin' Rap" (1979), Sound of New York * "Love Rap" (1979), Enjoy! – B-side of Treacherous Three's "New Rap Language" * "Monster Jam" (1980), Sugar Hill – Spoonie Gee Meets The Sequence * "Spoonie Is Back" (1981), Sugar Hill * "Re-Mix of Spoonie Rap" (1982), Heavenly Star * "The Big Beat" (1983), Tuff City/

Epic Epic commonly refers to: * Epic poetry, a long narrative poem celebrating heroic deeds and events significant to a culture or nation * Epic film, a genre of film with heroic elements Epic or EPIC may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and medi ...

* "Get Off My Tip" (1985), Tuff City * "New Love Rap" (1985), Enjoy! * "Street Girl" (1985), Tuff City * "That's My Style"/"I'll Serve You Right" b/w "Take It Off " (1986), Tuff City * "I'm All Shook Up" (1987), Tuff City * "The Godfather" (1987), Tuff City * "(You Ain't Just a Fool) You's an Old Fool" (1988), Tuff City * "Mighty Mike Tyson" (1988), Tuff City * "Spoonin' Rap" (1999), Ol' Skool Flava * " Bodyrock" - Moby featuring Spoonie G (1999), Mute, V2 * ''The Boss Is Back'' EP (2005), New Sound of Harlem

References

External links

Discography
at Discogs {{DEFAULTSORT:Spoonie Gee Living people African-American male rappers People from Harlem Rappers from Manhattan East Coast hip hop musicians Treacherous Three members 1963 births 21st-century American rappers 21st-century American male musicians 21st-century African-American musicians 20th-century African-American people