- Poison Clan
Poison Clan is one of the few successful rap groups from
the South in the early '90s. Poison Clan played an important role in the development of theDirty South movement that developed late in the decade. The group began as a2 Live Crew -sponsored group onLuke Records and came to an end when the group's driving force,JT Money , went on to a more successful solo career after a business-related dispute with Luke. In retrospect, though Poison Clan struggled to gain notoriety outside ofMiami in the '90s, the group's style of sleazy, club-orientated, bass-driven rap provided the template for the late-'90sDirty South movement.Originally, Poison Clan was a trio featuring
Debonaire andJT Money and the less known member Drugs featured on 2 Low Life Muthas (1990). The twoMiami rappers had impressed Luke enough for him to sign them to his then-fledging label,Luke Records , and have Mr. Mixx,2 Live Crew 's DJ, produce the album. 2 Low Life Muthas became a modest sensation inthe South with its blend ofdirty rap ,gangsta rap , andMiami bass . It was Poison Clan's second album, Poisonous Mentality (1992), and its big hit, "Shake Whatcha Mama Gave Ya," that expanded the group's reach outside of the South. Furthermore, Poisonous Mentality found J.T. Money taking over as Poison Clan's driving force -- though Poison Clan paraded itself as a collective, it was actually more of a solo project.Successive albums -- Ruff Town Behavior (1993) and Strait Zooism (1995) -- had moderate success, but none had songs that were as popular with national audiences as "Shake Whatcha Mama Gave Ya." By this point in the mid-'90s,
2 Live Crew and, in particular, Luke, had fallen off the map, resulting in tensions between Luke andJT Money , allegedly over unpaidroyalties . J.T. Money parted ways with Luke and embarked on a solo career that got off to a great start in 1999 with "Who Dat." That same year, Luke released The Best of J.T. Money & Poison Clan, which collected the best moments from Poison Clan's five-year run.Albums
*
2 Low Life Muthas :(1990)
*Poisonous Mentality : (1992)
*Ruff Town Behavior : (1993)
*Strait Zooism (1995)
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