Chubb Rock
Richard Anthony Simpson (born May 28, 1968), also known as Chubb Rock, is an American rapper who released several successful hip hop albums in the late 1980s and early 1990s.[2] A National Merit Scholar, Chubb Rock dropped out of Brown University to pursue his musical career.[3]
Chubb Rock | |
|---|---|
 Chubb Rock in 2019 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Richard Anthony Simpson[1] |
| Born | 28 May 1968 Brooklyn, New York |
| Origin | Brooklyn, New York |
| Genres | East Coast hip hop |
| Years active | 1987–present |
| Labels | Hyztory Records Select Records Champion Records |
1990s and earlier
Discovered and produced by his first cousin DJ-Producer Howie Tee, Chubb Rock first appeared on the national scene with his 1988 self-titled debut Chubb Rock and 1989's And the Winner is...[2] The latter produced the minor hit "Ya Bad Chubbs" which garnered air play on Yo! MTV Raps during that time.
His 1990 release entitled The One reached No. 13 on Billboard's Top Hip-Hop/R&B chart for that year. Three singles from that release, "Treat 'Em Right", "Just The Two of Us" and "The Chubbster", made it to No. 1 on Billboard's Top Rap Singles chart list for the same year.[2]
The following year saw the release of I Gotta Get Mine, Yo, a release that featured guest performances from Grand Puba Maxwell and Poke. This release also helped fledgling music producers Trackmasters, on their rise to prominence, as the group handled production duties on the recording.[2] Chubb Rock also made an appearance on MC Serch's 1992 song "Back to the Grill."
Chubb Rock was a member of the 1995 incarnation of the Crooklyn Dodgers, a hip hop act that also featured OC and Jeru the Damaja. His backup dancers started another group, A.T.E.E.M, which released its debut, A Hero Ain't Nothin' But A Sandwich, in 1992 on Select Records.
In 1996, he appeared on the Red Hot Organization's compilation album America is Dying Slowly, alongside Wu-Tang Clan, Coolio, and Fat Joe, among others. The album, meant to raise awareness of the AIDS epidemic among African American men, was heralded as a masterpiece by The Source magazine.
2000s and on
Chubb Rock's work in the 2000s has been limited to only a few songs. He appears on a song for Raptivism Records' "No More Prisons" project with Lil' Dap of Group Home and Ed O.G., and also worked with Mr. Len on the song "Dummy Smacks", where he says, "Some people thought I was gone... never that!" He made an appearance alongside Vast Aire on the 2007 Zimbabwe Legit album House of Stone with the song "Wake Up". In 2001 he appeared in the soundtrack for Wet Hot American Summer on the song Summer in America.
In 2008, his single "Treat 'Em Right" was ranked number 82 on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of Hip Hop. Chubb Rock also released "Obama We Believe" in support of President Obama. His most recent appearance was on the K'naan single "ABC's". He also collaborated with Polish rapper eMCeeM on a track for his album To dopiero poczatek.
In February 2009, the single "Back In" was released, from the album Bridging The Gap, a collaboration with Wordsmith, released on July 14, 2009.
Chubb Rock is featured in the single "Summertime Anthem" by Eric Roberson in which they filmed the music video on the streets of Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn, New York City where he credited his wife and manager, KeKe "Diamond" Simpson, for putting the duo together.
Chubb Rock also released an EP in September 2011. That year, he also appeared with his childhood sweetheart and wife of 24 years, KeKe Simpson on the NBC game show The Marriage Ref.
Chubb Rock moved to Atlanta and joined a radio show hosted by Silas "SiMan Baby" Alexander on Atlanta's Majic 107.5/97.5. On October 26, 2018 [4] they left the station and later started a syndicated afternoon radio show.[5]
Discography
Studio albums
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| US [6] |
US R&B /HH [7] | ||
| The One | 71 | 13 | |
| I Gotta Get Mine Yo! (Book of Rhymes) |
|
127 | 24 |
| The Mind |
|
— | 45 |
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | |||
Mixtapes
| Title | Mixtape details |
|---|---|
| A Crack in the Bridge (Wordsmith featuring Chubb Rock & The Nu Revolution Camp) |
|
Collaborative albums
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| US R&B /HH [8] | |||
| Chubb Rock (featuring Hitman Howie Tee) |
|
54 | |
| And the Winner Is... (with Hitman Howie Tee) |
|
28 | |
| Obama We Believe (with Shae Fontaine and Michael K) |
|
— | |
| Bridging the Gap (with Wordsmith) |
— | ||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | |||
Extended plays
| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | Record label | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [9] |
US R&B [9] | |||
| 1990 | Treat 'Em Right | 73 | 22 | Select |
As lead artist
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [11] |
US Dance [12] |
US R&B [13] |
US Rap [14] |
UK [15] | |||
| "Rock 'N Roll Dude" (featuring Hitman Howie Tee & Domino)[16] |
1987 | — | — | — | — | — | Chubb Rock |
| "DJ Innovator" (featuring Hitman Howie Tee)[17] |
1988 | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "Caught Up" (featuring Hitman Howie Tee)[18] |
— | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Ya Bad Chubbs" (with Hitman Howie Tee) |
1989 | — | — | — | 15 | 82 | And the Winner Is... |
| "Stop That Train" (with Hitman Howie Tee) |
— | — | — | 23 | — | ||
| "Just the Two of Us" | 1990 | — | — | 20 | 1 | — | The One |
| "Treat 'Em Right" | 95 | 32 | 33 | 1 | 67 | Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare Soundtrack and The One | |
| "The Chubbster" | — | 8 | 41 | 1 | — | The One | |
| "Street Talkin'" (featuring Outkast) |
1999 | — | — | — | 65 | 22 | The Art of Storytelling |
| "We Turn It" (featuring Doug E. Fresh)[19] |
— | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Why, Why, Why"[lower-alpha 1][20] | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Can't Shake Us" (featuring Special K)[21] |
2002 | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album single |
| "Snakes of the World Today"[22] | 2018 | — | — | — | — | — | The Great Adventures of Slick Rick (Deluxe Edition) |
| "Hey Young World (Demo)"[23] | 2019 | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "Midas Touch"[24] | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album single | |
| "Can't Dance To a Track That Ain't Got No Soul"[25] | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album single | |
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | |||||||
Singles
| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Hot 100 [9] |
US R&B [9] |
US Rap [9] |
US Dance [9] |
UK [26] | ||||||||||||
| 1987 | "Rock 'n Roll Dude" | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||
| 1988 | "DJ Innovator" (with Hitman Howie Tee) | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||
| "Caught Up" | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||||
| 1989 | "Ya Bad Chubbs" | — | — | 15 | — | 82 | ||||||||||
| "Stop That Train" | — | — | 23 | — | — | |||||||||||
| 1990 | "Just the Two of Us" | — | 20 | 1 | — | — | ||||||||||
| "Treat 'Em Right" | 95 | 33 | 1 | 32 | 67 | |||||||||||
| "The Chubbster" | — | 41 | 1 | 8 | — | |||||||||||
| 1992 | "The Big Man" | — | 96 | 30 | — | — | ||||||||||
| "Lost in the Storm" | — | 37 | 1 | — | — | |||||||||||
| 1993 | "Yabadabadoo" | — | — | 6 | — | — | ||||||||||
| 1997 | "Beef" | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||
| "Life" | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||||
| 2022 | "Grown and Sexy (G.a.S.)" | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | ||||||||||||||||
Notes
- "Why, Why, Why" was released as a split single with "You Don't Know" by Black Rob and "Stay Schemin" & "Put To Death" by Nas.
References
- "ARRIVAL". ASCAP. American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers. Retrieved 29 April 2023.
- Colin Larkin, ed. (2000). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Nineties Music (First ed.). Virgin Books. p. 88. ISBN 0-7535-0427-8.
- Where Are They Now? An Update on Ex-Music Stars Chubb Rock, Ray Parker Jr. and Others, archived copy of Blackamericaweb.com
- Ho, Rodney. "Silas 'SiMan' Alexander and Chubb Rock leaving Majic". AJC. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
- Ho, Rodney. "SiMan, Chubb Rock start syndicated afternoon radio show". AJC. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
- "Kid 'n Play Chart History". Billboard 200. Retrieved 11 June 2020.
- "Kid 'n Play Chart History". Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. Retrieved 11 June 2020.
- "Kid 'n Play Chart History". Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. Retrieved 11 June 2020.
- "US Charts > Chubb Rock". Billboard. Retrieved 11 March 2016.
- Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 510. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
- "Slick Rick Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
- "Slick Rick Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
- "Slick Rick Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
- "Slick Rick Chart History (Hot Rap Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
- "Slick Rick - UK Chart". The Official Charts Company. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
- We Turn It On (track listing). Slick Rick. Def Jam Recordings. 1999. 314 562 125-1.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - We Turn It On (track listing). Slick Rick. Def Jam Recordings. 1999. 314 562 125-1.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - We Turn It On (track listing). Slick Rick. Def Jam Recordings. 1999. 314 562 125-1.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - We Turn It On (track listing). Slick Rick. Def Jam Recordings. 1999. 314 562 125-1.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - Crib Underground (track listing). Black Rob/Nas/Slick Rick. Crib Underground. MTM-2024.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - Can't Shake Us/No Body Loves Me (track listing). Slick Rick/Special K. Never Knew Records. 2002. NK-001.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - "Snakes of the World Today - Slick Rick - Release Info". Apple Music.
- "Hey Young World (Demo) - Slick Rick - Release Info". Spotify.
- "Midas Touch - Slick Rick - Release Info". Apple Music.
- "Can't Dance To a Track That Ain't Got No Soul - Slick Rick - Release Info". Apple Music.
- "UK Charts > Chubb Rock". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 11 March 2016.