View source for Ultramagnetic MCs

{{short description|American hip hop group}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2025}}

{{Infobox musical artist <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject Musicians -->
| name              = Ultramagnetic MCs
| image             = Ultramagnetic MCs ATP.jpg
| caption           = Ultramagnetic MCs ([[Kool Keith]] and [[Ced-Gee]] pictured) performing at [[All Tomorrow's Parties (music festival)|I'll Be Your Mirror]] in Asbury Park, New Jersey, September 2011
| landscape         = yes
| background        = group_or_band
| origin            = [[The Bronx]], [[New York City]], U.S.
| genre             = [[Hip hop music|Hip hop]]
| years_active      = {{hlist|1984–2001|2006–present
}}
| label             = {{hlist|Diamond International (1984–1986)|[[Next Plateau Entertainment|Next Plateau]] (1986–1991)|[[Mercury Records|Mercury]]/[[PolyGram Records]] (1991–1992)|[[Wild Pitch Records|Wild Pitch]]/[[EMI Records]] (1993–1994)|[[Tuff City]] (1994–?)|[[Oxygen Music Works]] (2001-?)|DMAFT (2006–?)|Black Pegasus (2010-?)|Red Apples 45 (2012-?)|Ruffnation Entertainment (2023–?)|Anti-Corp (2023-present)
}}
| website           = 
| current_members   = [[Kool Keith]]<br />[[Ced-Gee]]<br />TR Love<br />[[Moe Love]]<br />Jaycee
| past_members      = 
}}

The '''Ultramagnetic MCs''' (rendered as '''Ultramagnetic MC's''') is an American [[Hip hop music|hip hop]] group based in [[the Bronx]], [[New York City]].<ref name=allmusic>{{cite web|last=Cooper|first=Sean|title=Ultramagnetic MC's Biography|url=http://www.allmusic.com/artist/ultramagnetic-mcs-p14588|website=[[AllMusic]]|access-date=14 July 2011|archive-date=2 May 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110502070500/http://www.allmusic.com/artist/ultramagnetic-mcs-p14588|url-status=live}}</ref> Founded by [[Kool Keith]], the group also includes [[Ced Gee]], [[TR Love]], and [[Moe Love]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Wang|first=Oliver|title=Classic material: the hip-hop album guide|year=2003|publisher=ECW Press}}</ref> Big D was brought into the group by his cousin Kool Keith as a hype man in 1988. [[Tim Dog]] became an unofficial member in 1989. In 1990, DJ Jaycee was added as a road manager and backup DJ. A former member, Rooney Roon, was fired following an assault arrest. Beat-boxer [[Rahzel]] was a [[Road crew|roadie]] for the group early in its career.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://copelandentertainment.com/artist/rahzel/ | title=Rahzel |website=Copelandentertainment.com}}</ref> The group's work was associated with unorthodox [[Sampling (music)|sampling]], polysyllabic rhymes, and bizarre lyrical imagery.

== History ==
The Ultramagnetic MCs formed in 1984. Their first single was "To Give You Love" (1985) on the Diamond International label. The group released "Ego Trippin'", their first [[12-inch single]], on Next Plateau Records in 1986. It was the first hip hop song to feature the "[[Synthetic Substitution]]" drum break sample, composed by [[Melvin Bliss]] and one of the most sampled songs of all time.<ref>{{cite AV media | people=Holder, Earl | date=2011 | title=Synthetic Substitution: The Life Story of Melvin Bliss | medium=Motion picture | publisher=Peripheral Enterprises}}</ref> The group's next single was "Travelling at the Speed of Thought (Original)"/"M.C.'s Ultra (Part Two)" followed by "Funky"/"Mentally Mad", one of their most sought-after 12-inch singles. "Travelling" used extensive sampling from "[[Louie Louie]]" by [[the Kingsmen]] while "Funky" was based on a [[Joe Cocker]] piano sample later used as the basis for [[Tupac Shakur|2Pac]]'s "[[California Love]]". The single was released in 1987, and led to the release of the group's first album.

The Ultramagnetic MCs released a new school classic in 1988, ''[[Critical Beatdown]]'', introducing many new sampling techniques. Many believe{{who|date=November 2022}} that without the group's primary producer, Ced Gee, the golden era of sampling may have looked very different. Ced, while uncredited, also produced the majority of [[Boogie Down Productions]]' seminal ''[[Criminal Minded]]''.<ref name="Larkin"/> These albums are among the first to use "chopped" samples, rearranged and edited to change context. Both albums also feature many [[James Brown (musician)|James Brown]] samples, which became prominent in hip hop in ensuing years. [[KRS-One]] has been quoted as saying that he was close to joining Ultramagnetic MCs early on. [[Paul C.]] was also a major contributor to ''Critical Beatdown'', producing "Give The Drummer Some", and engineering most of the album.<ref name="Larkin"/> Paul C. also produced the Hip-House mix of "Traveling At The Speed Of Thought", which was used as the group's first music video, and was their sole release in 1989. The single's b-side, "A Chorus Line", became one of Ultramagnetic's most popular songs and introduced new group affiliate Tim Dog. A variation of the "A Chorus Line" instrumental was used as the basis of Tim Dog's debut single, the Ced Gee-produced "Fuck Compton",<ref name="Larkin">{{cite book|title=[[Encyclopedia of Popular Music|The Virgin Encyclopedia of Popular Music]]|editor=Colin Larkin|editor-link=Colin Larkin (writer)|publisher=[[Virgin Books]]|date=1997|edition=Concise|isbn=1-85227-745-9|page=1203}}</ref> which became a modest hit and is credited with helping to spark the East coast/West coast feud of the mid 1990s.

The group went on a hiatus for several years, breaking up temporarily in 1990. They returned on [[Mercury Records]] in 1992, with the album ''[[Funk Your Head Up]]''.<ref name="Larkin"/> The album received a muted response, in part because many tracks had been given a commercial sheen, having been remixed by outside producers at the label's insistence. Alternate mixes of this album's songs along with unreleased tracks from the sessions have appeared on later compilations. The song "Poppa Large", remixed by Da Beatminerz, became a hit and remains a staple of Kool Keith's live show. The song's video featured Keith in a straitjacket, his bald head encased in a birdcage.

In 1993, the group released the album ''[[The Four Horsemen (album)|The Four Horsemen]]'',<ref name="Larkin"/> which featured guest production and vocals by [[Godfather Don]], who produced solo Kool Keith sessions in 1992. Some of those tracks appear on ''The Four Horsemen'', and also on ''[[Cenobites (album)|Cenobites]]''. The former was the last official album the Ultramagnetic MC's released until their 2007 reunion.

There were many semi-legitimate and compilation albums to follow, the most official of which was Next Plateau's ''The B-Sides Companion'', which featured a new song, some unreleased 1989 songs recorded for a second Next Plateau LP and most of the group's classic singles, albeit in newly remixed form. Ced Gee and Moe Love both provided demos and unreleased songs spanning the group's entire career to Tuff City for a series of four albums which were released without Kool Keith's consent. A live album, ''Brooklyn To Brixton'', was announced but abandoned.

As a reaction to Ced and Moe's involvement in the Tuff City releases, Kool Keith and Tim Dog reunited on the album ''[[Big Time (Ultra album)|Big Time]]'', released under the group name '''Ultra''' in 1997. Kool Keith went on to record many solo CDs, including several under aliases such as [[Dr. Octagon]] and [[Dr. Dooom]]. His abstract rhymes and syncopated, off-beat delivery influenced many rappers, including [[Pharoahe Monch]] from [[Organized Konfusion]] and [[Ghostface Killah]] of [[Wu-Tang Clan]].

In 2001, Ultramagnetic MCs released a single, "Make It Rain" / "Mix It Down". Two other songs, "Baby, I'm Mad" and "Who Am I?" were recorded at the same sessions, but remain officially unreleased. In 2004, the original versions of the Next Plateau singles were finally released on CD as bonus tracks on the remastered ''Critical Beatdown''. In a 9 December 2005 interview on Houston's ''Late Nite Snax'' radio show,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.peaceuvmine.com/2014/07/23/diggin-in-the-tapes-kool-keith-interview-2005/|title=DIGGIN IN THE TAPES ::KOOL KEITH INTERVIEW 2005:: &#124; Peace Uv Mine|date=26 July 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140726183631/http://www.peaceuvmine.com/2014/07/23/diggin-in-the-tapes-kool-keith-interview-2005/|access-date=29 June 2021|archive-date=2014-07-26}}</ref> Kool Keith confirmed rumours that the Ultramagnetic MC's had reformed and recorded a new album. Founding Ultramagnetic MC's member Ced Gee has set up Factshen Records. A new Ultramagnetic MC's LP, ''Back to the Future—The Bronx Kings Are Back'', was scheduled to be released in 2006 but was later named ''[[The Best Kept Secret (Ultramagnetic MCs album)|The Best Kept Secret]]'' and released in January 2007. Although the album's cover features the original line-up of Kool Keith, Ced Gee, Moe Love and TR Love, TR (along with Tim Dog) were absent. Instead, guest verses are provided by newcomers like Grafiq Malachi Sebek. However, Tim Dog and TR Love have each recently released songs featuring Ultramagnetic under their own names. The group also released a new song after the album's release called "We About Chix", the video can be seen on [[YouTube]].

The group performed live at the [[All Tomorrow's Parties (music festival)|ATP I'll Be Your Mirror]] festival curated by ATP & Portishead in September 2011 in [[Asbury Park, New Jersey]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.atpfestival.com/events/ibymasburypark.php|title=ATP America presents I'll Be Your Mirror curated by Portishead & ATP - All Tomorrow's Parties|access-date=2011-06-14|archive-date=2011-07-04|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110704054829/http://www.atpfestival.com/events/ibymasburypark.php|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Discography==
===Studio albums===
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;" border="1"
|+ List of albums, with selected chart positions
! scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:10em;" | Title
! scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:23em;" | Album details
! scope="col" colspan="5" | Peak chart positions
|-
! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;"| [[Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums|US<br />R&B<br/>/HH]]<br /><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.billboard.com/music/ultramagnetic-mcs/chart-history/r-b-hip-hop-albums|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180311002601/https://www.billboard.com/music/ultramagnetic-mcs/chart-history/r-b-hip-hop-albums|url-status=dead|archive-date=March 11, 2018|title=Ultramagnetic MCs Chart History|work=[[Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums]]|access-date=2022-03-30}}</ref>
! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;"| [[Top Heatseekers|US<br />Heat.]]<br /><ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/ultramagnetic-mcs/chart-history/tln/|title=Ultramagnetic MCs – Chart History: Top Heatseekers|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|accessdate=March 30, 2022}}</ref>

! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;"| [[UK Singles Chart|UK<br />R&B<br/>/HH]]<br /><ref name="uk">{{cite web|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/25387/ultramagnetic-mcs/|title=Ultramagnetic MCs – UK Charts |publisher=The Official Charts Company |accessdate=October 25, 2020}}</ref>
|-
! scope="row" | ''[[Critical Beatdown]]''
|
* Released: October 4, 1988
* Label: [[Next Plateau Entertainment|Next Plateau]]
* Formats: [[CD]], [[LP record|LP]], [[Compact Cassette|Cassette]], [[Music download|digital download]]
| 57
| —
| 17
|-
! scope="row" | ''[[Funk Your Head Up]]''
|
* Released: March 17, 1992
* Label: [[Mercury Records|Mercury]]/[[PolyGram]]
* Formats: CD, LP, Cassette, digital download
| —
| —
| —
|-
! scope="row" | ''[[The Four Horsemen (album)|The Four Horsemen]]''
|
* Released: August 10, 1993
* Label: [[Wild Pitch Records|Wild Pitch]]/[[EMI America Records|ERG]]
* Formats: CD, LP, Cassette, digital download
| 55
| 15
| —
|-
! scope="row" | ''[[The Best Kept Secret (Ultramagnetic MCs album)|The Best Kept Secret]]''
|
* Released: January 9, 2007
* Label: [[Oglio Records|DMAFT]]
* Formats: CD, LP, digital download
| —
| —
| —
|-
! scope="row" | ''Ultra Laboratory Stories''{{efn|Published as "Ultramagnetic Foundation".}}
|
* Released: August 24, 2010<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/ultra-laboratory-stories-mw0002061848|title=Ultra Laboratory Stories - Ultramagnetic MCs - Release Info|website=AllMusic}}</ref>
* Label: Black Pegasus
* Formats: CD, LP
| —
| —
| —
|-
! scope="row" | ''Ced Gee X Kool Keith''
|
* Released: April 1, 2022<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/ced-gee-x-kool-keith-mw0003668339|title=Ced Gee X Kool Keith - Ultramagnetic MCs - Release Info|website=AllMusic}}</ref>
* Label: Ruffnation
* Formats: LP
| —
| —
| —
|-
| colspan="6"  style="text-align:center; font-size:75%;"| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that country.
|}

===Collaborations===
* 2019 – [[The Foundation Album (Legends Recording Group)|''The Foundation'']]

===Compilation albums===
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"
|+ List of compilation albums
! scope="col" rowspan="1" style="width:11em;" | Title
! scope="col" rowspan="1" style="width:16em;" | Album details
|-
! scope="row" | ''[[The Basement Tapes 1984–1990]]''
|
* Released: 1994
* Label: [[Tuff City Records|Tuff City]]
* Formats: CD, LP, Cassette
|-
! scope="row" | ''[[New York What Is Funky]]''
|
* Released: April 4, 1996
* Label: Ol' Skool Flava/[[Tuff City Records|Tuff City]]
* Formats: CD, LP, digital download
|-
! scope="row" | ''Mo Love's Basement Tapes''
|
* Released: 1996<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/mo-loves-basement-tapes-mw0000360300 |website=[[AllMusic]] |date=
|access-date=January 28, 2021 |title= Ultramagnetic MCs - Mo Love's Basement Tapes}}</ref>
* Label: Ol' Skool Flava
* Formats: CD, LP, digital download
|-
! scope="row" | ''The B-Sides Companion''
|
* Released: October 7, 1997<ref>{{cite web|url=https://music.apple.com/us/album/cold-rock-a-party-best-of/1461763211|title=Cold Rock a Party Best Of - MC Lyte - Release Info|website=Apple Music}}</ref>
* Label: Next Plateau
* Formats: CD, LP, Cassette
|-
! scope="row" | ''[[Smack My Bitch Up (album)|Smack My Bitch Up]]''
|
* Released: 1998
* Label: Tuff City
* Formats: CD, LP, digital download
|-
|}

=== Singles ===
====As lead artist====
<!-- ALL SINGLES MUST BE LISTED HERE. ANY SINGLE RELEASED THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY TO RADIO IS CLASSIFIED AS A SINGLE. PLEASE DO NOT CHANGE -->

{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;" border="1"
|+ List of singles, with selected chart positions
! scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:18em;"| Title
! scope="col" rowspan="2"| Year
! scope="col" colspan="1"| Peak chart positions
! scope="col" rowspan="2"| Album
|-
! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;"| [[Hot Rap Songs|UK]]<br /><ref name="uk"/>
|-
! scope="row"| "To Give You Love"<ref name="Baby Make It Boom">{{cite AV media notes | others=Antoinette | date=1988 | title=Baby Make It Boom | type=track listing | publisher=[[Next Plateau Entertainment|Next Plateau Records Inc]] | id=NP 50089}}</ref>
|rowspan="2"|1986
|align="center"| —
|{{N/A|Non-album single}}
|-
! scope="row"| "[[Ego Trippin' (song)|Ego Trippin']]"
|align="center"| —
|rowspan="6"|''Critical Beatdown''
|-
! scope="row"|"Travelling at the Speed of Thought"<ref>{{cite AV media notes | others=Antoinette & Hurby's Machine | date=1988 | title=Unfinished Business/Hit 'Em With This | type=track listing | publisher=Sound Check Records, [[Next Plateau Entertainment|Next Plateau Records Inc]] | id=NPS50075}}</ref>
|rowspan="2"|1987
|align="center"| —
|-
! scope="row"|"Funky"<ref name="Baby Make It Boom"/>
|align="center"| —
|-
! scope="row"|"Watch Me Now"
|rowspan="2"|1988
|align="center"| —
|-
! scope="row"| "Ease Back"<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/release/shake-rattle-roll-mr0001922676|title=Antoinette - Shake, Rattle & Roll (12 inch Vinyl Single - Next Plateau 50109)|website=AllMusic}}</ref>
|align="center"| —
|-
! scope="row"|"Give the Drummer Some"<ref>{{cite AV media notes | others=Antoinette | date=1989 | title=I'm Crying/This Girl Is Off On Her Own | type=track listing | publisher=[[Next Plateau Entertainment|Next Plateau Records Inc]] | id=NP 50113}}</ref>
|1989
|align="center"| 95
|-
! scope="row"|"Make it Happen"<ref name="allmusic.com">{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/release/never-get-enough-mr0002334261|title=Antoinette - Never Get Enough (12 inch Vinyl Single - Next Plateau 50119)|website=AllMusic}}</ref>
|1991
|align="center"| —
|rowspan="2"|''Funk Your Head Up''
|-
! scope="row"|"Poppa Large"<ref name="She Operates Around The Clock">{{cite AV media notes | others=Antoinette | date=1990 | title=She Operates Around The Clock | type=track listing | publisher=[[Next Plateau Entertainment|Next Plateau Records Inc]] | id=145.846-7}}</ref>
|rowspan="2"|1992
|align="center"| —
|-
! scope="row"| "Two Brothers with Checks (San Francisco, Harvey)"
|align="center"| —
|rowspan="2"|''The Four Horsemen''
|-
! scope="row"|"Raise it Up"<br /><span style="font-size:85%;">(featuring [[Godfather Don]])</span><ref name="She Operates Around The Clock"/>
|1993
|align="center"| —
|-
! scope="row"|"I'm Fuckin Flippin"<br /><span style="font-size:85%;">(featuring [[Kool Keith]])</span><ref name="allmusic.com"/>
|1994
|align="center"| —
|''New York What Is Funky''
|-
! scope="row"|"Watch Your Back"<ref name="allmusic.com"/>
|1996
|align="center"| —
|''Mo Love's Basement Tapes''
|-
| colspan="6"  style="text-align:center; font-size:75%;"| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that country.
|}

*

*

== Notes ==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20041209094446/http://www.koolkeith.co.uk/ Koolkeith.co.uk]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20150509122143/http://ultrakeith.net/ Ultrakeith.net]
*[http://www.Tuffcity.com/ Tuffcity.com]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20060509093135/http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/ultramagneticmcs ''Rolling Stone'' page]

{{Kool Keith}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ultramagnetic Mcs}}
[[Category:African-American musical groups]]
[[Category:Five percenters]]
[[Category:Hip-hop collectives]]
[[Category:East Coast hip-hop groups]]
[[Category:Hip-hop groups from New York City]]
[[Category:Mercury Records artists]]
[[Category:Next Plateau Entertainment artists]]
[[Category:Wild Pitch Records artists]]
[[Category:Rappers from the Bronx]]
[[Category:Musical groups from the Bronx]]
[[Category:1984 establishments in New York City]]