NICE N SMOOTH

Nice N SmoothComing out of New York City, Nice and Smooth had several rap hits in the late '80s and early '90s, all with their trademark lightly distinctive vocals. Childhood friends Gregg Nyce (who started as a human beat-box for T-La Rock and was b. Greg Mays) and Smooth B. (b. Daryl Barnes) originally formed the group with John "June Love" Butter in 1987, but Butter was murdered later that year.Nice and Smooth pushed on, however, cutting singles on their own label, Strange Family Records. They gained some airplay, and Smooth B was even hired to pen rhymes for Bobby Brown's Don't Be Cruel. The duo was signed to Sleeping Bag/Fresh Records and released their eponymous debut album in 1989, which contained the hit single "Funky for You." After the label went bankrupt, Nice and Smooth moved to Def Jam/RAL and released their seminal album, 1991's Ain't a Damn Thing Changed. With its sobering title track and the infectious Tracy Chapman-sampling "Sometimes I Rhyme Slow," the record became a huge hit. Their appearance on Gang Starr's "Dwyck," in 1992, solidified them as underground favorites with an equally pop-feel-appeal.Their third full-length release, Jewel of the Nile, appeared in 1994. The group split, each releasing a small amount of material on the independent tip, before getting back together and releasing their latest, Blazing Hot, in 1997. Unfortunately, it received lukewarm attention.RollingStone.com