| Whodini
In a 1992 Canadian Much Music television
interview, the Beastie Boys were asked the whereabouts of
their infamous 1987 tour props. The band proceeded to reveal
that the metal cages, which once contained go-go dancers
like Eloise, were safely secured
in storage at an undisclosed location. They also stated
that although Vanilla Ice had inquired about borrowing them,
Whodini was the only rap act they had ever loaned the cages
out to. The cages were said to have been used by Whodini
in the music video for their song "Freaks." Unlike
some stories which the Beastie Boys have been known to tell
interviewers, this one checks out to be true.
By the time "Freaks" was
released as a single (1991), the guys who made up Whodini
were already on the downward slide of their career. Back
in the golden era of hip-hop, Jalil Hutchins, Ecstasy and
Grandmaster D had scored hits with "One Love,"
"Freaks Come Out at Night," and "Funky Beat."
Perhaps the pinnacle of Whodini's success came when they
went on tour with Run DMC, LL
Cool J, and the Beastie Boys. At least two of those
Whodini concert performances were recorded by bootleggers.
Today copies of those concerts continue to circulate among
collectors. If you are interested in obtaining copies of
concert recordings like those previously mentioned, Old
School Hip Hop is the best place to begin your quest for
lyrical enlightenment.
In the September 13th Melody
Maker, Sean Carasov eludes
to a Beastie Boys composed Whodini song: "We're all
like family because we're all under the same management
and we all work together. Run (of Run DMC) is actually writing
some songs for us (the Beastie Boys) and we wrote Whodini
a song so we all hang out together a lot." Even if
that statement appears to be nothing more than frivolous
hip-hop trivia, it still encourages Beastie Boys fans to
search out Whodini recordings with the hope of finding A.
Horovitz, A. Yauch, &
M. Diamond credited in an
album's liner note
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