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Nice & Smooth

Pop Quotable: "Sometimes I rhyme slow, sometimes I rhyme quick, I was on 1-2-5 & St. Nick." ~ Nice & Smooth

Now, I rarely see these emcees get any shine on music message boards (even hip hop ones), so the time was only right to feature them in the first installment of PAAOOYH for '06.

Nice & Smooth are severely UNDERRATED in the hip hop scene. Gregg Nice (born Gregg Mays) and Smooth Bee (born Daryl Barnes) formed in New York City and had an underrated 1991 debut release Ain't a Damn Thing Changed. It included the biting, nicely written, and bitterly performed "Sometimes I Rhyme Slow," which was a sizable hit in the R&B and hip-hop circuit.

What were your favorite songs by Nice & Smooth? Any memories? Did you go to any shows? I loved "How To Flow," "Sometimes I Rhyme Slow" (with the Tracy Chapman "Fast Car" sample) and "Hip Hop Junkies" with that Partridge Family loop. I loved both of their deliveries on tracks.

JANFAN4L said:

I'd blame the CD Cover designer

Wow. No one has anything constructive to say. I'm surprised...

My kid brother was more into hip-hop than I was, but he used to play this cassette a lot. Smooth Bee had a cool and clear voice and you could hear every word he said..no mumbling,etc. I also liked that jam they did with Guru and Kid Capri (Can't remember the name of it). Greg Nice is still in the game producing, but I heard Smooth Bee fell on some hard times and is currently on lockdown.

I have that CD.

My favorite song though is on their debut: "No Delayin' " which employs a Slick Rick vocal sample on the hook, AND A PRINCE MUSIC LOOP!

My favorite rhymes are actually kind of random and funny.

"I stay def beyond 2000
And my spirit will keep arousin
all new jack boys and girls (girls)
And I never had jheri curls (curls)"

SPYZFAN1 said:

I know someone who saw Smooth Bee walkin around Manhatten about 5 years ago and he said the same thing then "looked like he fell on hard times".

SPYZFAN1 said:

Oh, ish, I didn't know this. So Smooth Bee went the Chi Ali route! :-O

CinisterCee said:

I'd knew you chime in eventually.

I always dug their videos - always had some fine-a** girls in 'em.

JesseDezz said:

what? there are rap videos with fine a** girls in them??

Dancelot said:

I'll excuse your sarcasm and explain that when Nice & Smooth came out with their stuff, the video ho hadn't come to the forefront of hip-hop videos yet. They were among the first to feature swimsuit/scantily-clad hoodrats/models in their videos. Then came "Rumpshaker" and the rest is r-rated history...

I love them.... also on the classic DWYCK, Old to New was also the shit from
Jewel of the Nile

"Sometimes I Rhyme Slow" is a great track. I think this sample worked out even better than that Toms Diner remix. It's cool how they layered the slower guitar from Fast Car with the sped up drum beat, and both fit together so perfectly. I used to tape all the episodes of Yo MTV Raps and Fade To Black back when they were on, I remember Nice & Smooth showing up on there a few times getting interviewed. They got some decent exposure on MTV when they first came out, sad they kinda fell off.

Tom said:

You could say the same thing about Black Sheep.

lilgish said:

Oh Strobelight Honey was great! I also liked their track (State Of Yo) on Heavy Rhyme Experience.

JANFAN4L said:

[b]digital underground with hupmty .and the humpty dance do the hump

I have their album (tape).