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Spank Rock
Spank Rock
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Reflecting the party rap atmosphere of Baltimore's club scene, Spank Rock arrived as one of the best things to happen to both underground hip-hop and dirty rap, a pair of styles that rarely intermingle. The group formed as a collaboration between MC Naeem Juwan (aka Spank Rock) and producer XXXchange (Alex Epton). Both grew up in Baltimore, though never met until both had been making music elsewhere for several years. Juwan was rapping by his middle-school years, and a friendship with producer Shawn J. Period (Mos Def, Talib Kweli) helped him decide on rap as a career and Philadelphia as a starting point. XXXchange studied at Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore, then briefly the New England Conservatory before decamping for New York and a stint drumming with the indie electronic group Zero Zero, whose 2001 album AM Gold was produced by the highly sought-after DFA camp; he also earned a production apprenticeship at DFA, assisting James Murphy and Tim Goldsworthy.

A mutual friend, Alex Rockswell, introduced Juwan and XXXchange at a Baltimore art gallery, and the two soon began working together (Rockswell later joined the entourage as DJ). Influenced by Baltimore's fertile but rarely exported club scene, Spank Rock tracks were influenced by the skeletal breakbeats of electro and bass, glitch and grime, while Juwan proved up to the task of conjuring the hyper-sexual rhymes necessary for a genuine Baltimore flavor. Signed to the seminal British label Big Dada, the duo turned heads with early singles "Backyard Betty" and "Rick Rubin." Spank Rock's debut album, YoYoYoYoYo, appeared in April 2006. XXXchange also recorded a mix album, Voila, that married his bruising beats to a succession of pop songs from the '60s, '70s, and '80s. ~ John Bush, All Music GuideMore

Official Profile

Spank Rock
Fat girls in a hot tub, popping bubbly, after a long night of playing slots at Caesar's Palace. We s...
Songs: 6, Videos: 2, Playlists: 1, Blog Posts: 2, Polls: 0, Battles: 0

Fan Comments

Jul 21st, 7:31pm
sick azz music, keep it comin!!! i like the WHATS NEXT vid u did too, dope
Apr 16th, 1:28am
you guys make sickkk beats...lets groove
Aug 8th, 11:14pm
saw you up in MA @ rock the bells.... crazzzzzyyyyyyy!
Dec 18th, 12:13pm
YEAH! Spank Rock
Dec 13th, 1:45am
What is the name of the 2nd song on the mini documentary? I wana buy it!
Dec 7th, 2:49pm
Damn you must come to Budapest !!

people love your style over here