Before there was Hyphy, there was The B.U.M.S.. The group was short lived, but the output is enduring. Oakland’s The B.U.M.S. or “Brothas Unda Madness” or rappers E-vocalist & D. Wyze made some noise on local urban radio network KMEL, and landed themselves on the Priority Records label in its golden era. Through Priority they released one album titled, ‘Lyfe ‘N’ Tyme’ in 1995 after a successful single, ‘Elevation (Free My Mind)’ back with ‘6 Figures And Up’. With a major label support, some radio rotation and many freestyle appearances on what was to become the most popular Hip Hop radio show in the world, The Wake Up Show, The B.U.M.S. seemed like they could have had a good run, but it wasn’t to be, and their commercial career lasted only from ‘94 through ‘95.
The debut single ‘Elevation (Free My Mind) was produced by Joe Quixx of the Oakland Faders DJ crew and uses a sample from Teddy Pendergrass’s ‘Close the Door’. Oww, sexy.
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MP3: The B.U.M.S. – Elevation (Free My Mind) (1994)
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MP3: The B.U.M.S. – 6 Figures and Up (1994)
Another hot one is this b-side only track titled ‘Rain’ with Saafir (the Saucee Nomad) from the second (and last) B.U.M.S. single, ‘Take a Look Around’:
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MP3: The B.U.M.S. – Rain (feat. Saafir) (1995)
The B.U.M.S. did one track for a Priority Records curated original soundtrack for the 1994 film Street Fighter—a live-action US-made film version of the epic video game. The B.U.M.S. ‘It’s a Street Fight’ is all about dropping lines about all things Street Fighter, and it’s sure to make all the old arcade junkies (like ourselves) crack a big stupid kool-aid grin.
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MP3: The B.U.M.S. – It’s a Street Fight (1994)
If you’re looking to cop records and CDs your best bet is a search for The B.U.M.S. on eBay. These don’t always go cheap. In the past year I’ve noticed ‘Lyfe ‘N’ Tyme’ on double LP being bid up 50+, but right now it looks like they have some CDs and singles for fair prices considering this is good stuff and OOP (out of print, that is).
