>> Boot Camp Click
bio: Don’t call it a comeback. Boot Camp Click’s been here for years. In fact, with several revered releases last year, BCC’s presence is being felt more than ever. After Navarre Distribution was able to lure Duck Down Records away from KOCH in Spring of 2005, Duck Down unleashed three masterpieces onto the masses this past year. Sean Price dropped his long awaited Monkey Bars, an LP regarded by many as a classic and one of the year’s strongest independent efforts. Price garnered praise from XXL, Allhiphop.com and The Source Magazine as they all named him as their independent artist/album of the year for 2005, making Sean Price one of the hottest underground MC’s in the game. With Monkey Bars still peaking, Buckshot of Black Moon teamed up with Little Brother’s super Producer 9th Wonder for Chemistry, another critics’ favorite, Scratch Magazine called the album “Hip Hop Gold”. Last but not least, Smif N Wesson dropped their third solo offering, Reloaded, to much fanfare as the album featured heavyweight appearances from Talib Kweli and Dead Prez .
Cemented is BCC’s legacy in the Hip-Hop annals. Spitting hardcore raps over dirty samples, the BCC comprised of Black Moon (Buckshot, DJ Evil Dee and 5ft.), Smif N Wessun (Tek & Steele), Heltah Skeltah (Ruck aka Sean Price and Rock) and OGC, (Louieville Sluggah, Starang Wondah and Top Dog) have epitomized New York Hip-Hop throughout their storied career. Just when the West Coast G Funk was becoming Hip-Hop’s choice sound, Brooklyn’s BCC individual groups lead the East Coast resurgence with a couple of releases, Black Moon’s Enta Da Stage (1993), which sold roughly 350,000 copies and Smif N Wessun’s Da Shinning (1995), which scanned 300,000 copies. West Coast powerhouse Priority Records was seeking a presence on the East Coast and inked Duck Down Records to a label deal to enlist the services of Boot Camp’s next wave of groups. Heltah Skeltah’s Nocturnal (1996) was released and won the group New Artist of the Year by the Source Magazine, followed by O.G.C.’s debut Da Storm (1997).
After unleashing several projects and building anticipation for a collective set, BCC released its debut LP, For The People (March 1997) which went on to sell over 250,000 copies and an impressive 50,000 in it’s first week. The squad later followed with Basic Training: The Best Of Boot Camp Clik (2000) which showcased the groups rich history of under the radar Hits. Included were Black Moon’s “I got You Opin”, “Who Got the Props”, “How Many MC’s”, Smif N Wessun’s “Bucktown” and “Soundbwoy Burial”, Fab 5’s “Leflah”, Heltah Skeltah’s “Operation Lockdown”, and the BCC’s classic collective “Head’s Aint Ready”. The Camp went on to release individual group sophomore projects and in 2001 Independent giant KOCH DISTRIBUTION signed Duck Down to its first pure Distribution deal.
Boot Camp quickly assembled to drop their sophomore release The Chosen Few (2002). The album’s Artwork was created by none other than Marc Ecko himself of ECKO CLOTHING further endorsing the groups popularity amongst trendsetters within the Industry. Production credits included beats from Alchemist, Hi -Tek, Beatminerz, & Bink!
Now, after over 3 million albums sold (Boot Camp-related projects) and countless classic releases, BCC is readying The Last Stand (July 18, 2006). The album features all 8 original members including Rock of Heltah Skeltah who was absent on The Chosen Few. With Da Beatminerz behind the boards as usual, the set also features outside production from some of the game’s most consistent producers. The stellar line-up, which features 9th Wonder, Pete Rock, Large Professor, Ill Mind and Marco Polo among others, is a testament to BCC’s relevance in the immediate Hip-Hop landscape. Slated for a July 18 release, the CD will coincide with a supportive 35-city nationwide tour which will take the crew to major markets like New York, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Chicago and Seattle among other cities. But don’t view this as the crew’s last release, far from it. Retirement is not an option.
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