Da Youngsta's

Da Youngsta’s (also known as the Illy Funkstaz) is a rap group from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, consisting of brothers Taji “Taj Mahal” and Qu'ran “Q-Ball” Goodman, and their cousin Tarik “Reek Geez” Dawson. In 1991, Mentally Gifted (real name Emanuel Parks), an up-and-coming rapper from West Philadelphia, was working on a song titled “Somethin' 4 da Youngstas”. Thinking the song needed a younger vibe, he asked Q-Ball, the son of the song’s producer, Lawrence “L.G.” Goodman, to add a verse to the song. Taj Mahal and Reek Geez were added to the song afterward, and Mentally Gifted decided to let the trio have the song as their demo. East West Records signed Da Youngsta’s after picking their demo up. Their debut single, “Somethin' 4 da Youngsta’s”, was released on February 6, 1992, with the album of the same name released on March 10, 1992. Unfortunately, both the debut single and the album failed to impact the Billboard charts, possibly because Kris Kross‘ debut album was released on the same day and included a bigger hit, “Jump”. The second single, “Pass da Mic”, used the remix version by Pete Rock for the music video. Because of this, it peaked at #10 on the Hot Rap Singles chart. 1993 saw Da Youngsta’s release their sophomore album The Aftermath, spawning three singles: “Crewz Pop” featuring Treach of Naughty By Nature, “Iz U Wit Me”, and “Wild Child”. During this time, Da Youngsta’s were involved in feuds with both Kris Kross and Illegal, another rap group. They accused Kris Kross of not writing their own songs and criticizing their success because of it. Disses at Kris Kross were heard on “Crewz Pop” and “Lyrical Stick Up Kids”. Unlike their debut from the previous year, The Aftermath has a more aggressive vibe and features production from a few of the most influential producers from New York, such as DJ Premier, Pete Rock, and Marley Marl. 1994 saw their third album No Mercy hit record stores. It featured “Hip Hop Ride”, their biggest hit, and “Mad Props”. Like the previous album, it included production from New York producers. This would be their last album with East West Records, as they would depart the label to be on L.G.’s label Pop Art Records. I’ll Make U Famous is their final album, released in 1995. Notable songs from the album include: “I’ll Make U Famous”, “Verbal Glock”, and “Bloodshed and War” featuring Mobb Deep. After the album’s release, the group disappeared from the hip-hop world since. Icons In 1997, Da Youngsta’s planned to release their 5th album Icons. It had a song featuring Kurupt and a number of other songs which were almost all produced by Q-Ball. However, apparently some clearance issues resulted in the album temporarily being scrapped. It was re-released by Q-Ball and was being sold on his Instagtam and songs were also put on his YouTube in the later half of 2017. Discography: 1992: Somethin' 4 da Youngsta’s 1993: The Aftermath 1994: No Mercy 1995: I’ll Make U Famous

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