The Real Roxanne - Respect 1988

Special Ed - The Bush 1989

Chubb Rock - The Regiments Of Steel 1990

One day, when someone will write a comprehensive history of hip-hop’s musical development, I bet you that sucker’s gonna forget about Howie Tee. On the blog tip, though, we got beat to it as Cold Rock Da Spot recently covered Howard Thompson (pictured above with cousin Chubb Rock making their own damn Grammy’s) exhaustively.

All that’s left for us to say is that Howie Tee is one of the rare hip-hop musicians/producers/DJ’s that successfully made the transition from the early ’80s into the ’90s. Starting in electro outfit CD III, then joining the Full Force camp and having a hand in records by UTFO, The Real Roxanne and last but not least Whistle’s international hit “(Nothing Serious) Just Buggin’” from ‘85 (scratches and co-production), then forming a classic late ’80s/early ’90s duo with Chubb Rock and going on to be involved in the highly successful R&B crossover project Color Me Badd.

Like Hurby Luvbug, Howie Tee has brought a pop sensibility to hip-hop (which in turn lead him to remix pop artists ranking as highly as Madonna), but he’s also been a key figure in the introduction of samples to hip-hop via production. His 1988 album with Chubb Rock, likely largely recorded in 1987, uses samples sparingly, but starting with the Aretha Franklin-influenced “Respect” for The Real Roxanne, he quickly began to explore the possibilites of sampling, resulting in his best work, the second album with Chubb, “And The Winner Is…” and Special Ed’s “Youngest In Charge,” which gave us the definite Flatbush anthem “The Bush.” One year later, in 1990, Chubb and Howie were responsible for one of the dopest hip-hop EP’s of all time, which not only featured the smash “Treat ‘Em Right,” but also the tribute to hip-hop peers and pioneers, “The Regiments Of Steel.” Both tracks were included in the 1991 Chubb Rock album “The One.”