Team Facelift was an American hip hop group based in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

that signed with

Duck Down Records Duck Down Music Inc is a New York City based record label, talent management, music-marketing, and consulting company founded by Drew "Dru-Ha" Friedman and Kenyatta "Buckshot" Blake in 1995. In Duck Down's 20-year existence, the Company has rel ...

History

The group was founded in 2004 and consisted of its three MCs—Machine, the Fat Jew, Alden Fonda—and one producer, Tommy Mas. The three met at

Skidmore College Skidmore College is a private liberal arts college in Saratoga Springs, New York. Approximately 2,650 students are enrolled at Skidmore pursuing a Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree in one of more than 60 areas of study. History Sk ...

Saratoga Springs, NY Saratoga Springs is a city in Saratoga County, New York, United States. The population was 28,491 at the 2020 census. The name reflects the presence of mineral springs in the area, which has made Saratoga a popular resort destination for over 2 ...

. The group's sound was described by the ''

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'' as a cross between

Barbra Streisand Barbara Joan "Barbra" Streisand (; born April 24, 1942) is an American singer, actress and director. With a career spanning over six decades, she has achieved success in multiple fields of entertainment, and is among the few performers List ...

and

Wu-Tang Clan Wu-Tang Clan is an American hip hop group formed in Staten Island, New York City, in 1992. Its original members include RZA, GZA, Ol' Dirty Bastard, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, U-God, and Masta Killa. Close affili ...

. The group first gained national attention when headlining

MTV 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 ...

's 52/52 campaign, which featured artists in short interstitials during commercial breaks. Team Facelift was the only group to appear that was unsigned.

Art direction

Team Facelift is known for its bizarre stage theatrics and antics, such as the use of

pyrotechnics Pyrotechnics is the science and craft of creating such things as fireworks, safety matches, oxygen candles, explosive bolts and other fasteners, parts of automotive airbags, as well as gas-pressure blasting in mining, quarrying, and demolition. ...

and live animals (particularly doves). The Fat Jew is famous for his on-stage nudity, often performing in nothing but a thong and construction boots. The group's first album, ''Mixed Emotions'', was released in December 2006 on its independent label, Facelift Records. The group's newest project, currently untitled, will be released in fall 2010 on Duck Down Records. In early May, it was announced that renowned house-music remixer, producer, and DJ Junior Sanchez will be executive producer of the album.
/ref> In late 2008 the group was featured on the single "Shake That Ass" on famed producer Armand Van Helden's ''New York: a Mix Odyssey 2'' album. Executive producers for the popular show ''The Daily 10'' on the

E! Entertainment E! (an initialism for Entertainment Television) is an American basic cable channel which primarily focuses on pop culture, celebrity focused reality shows, and movies, owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming division of NBCUnive ...

channel selected Team Facelift to become the New York bureau of that show, conducting man-on-the-street, public-opinion, and one-on-one interviews of the

entertainment scene, while adding tsunique brand of color and humor to the segment. In fall 2009, Team Facelift and Red Bull North America partnered together for Band on the Run, a unique tour that consisted of surprise performances from Team Facelift at major Colleges and Universities in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions of the US. In 2010 the group parted ways, citing "creative differences".

Discography

Albums

* ''Mixed Emotions'' (2006)

Mixtapes

* ''Famous In Japan'' (2003) * ''Mixtape Vol. I'' (2005) * ''Fancy/Sleazy'' (2007) * ''Passion Cove'' (2008) * ''6 Grams'' (2010)

References

External links

Official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Team Facelift American hip hop groups Jewish hip hop groups Musical groups established in 2004 Musical groups from New York City