The backstory story goes something like this: Edward Ellington Humphrey III, formerly the lead singer of the (fictitious) R&B outfit Smooth Eddie and the Humpers, morphed into another life form after his nose was horrendously deformed in a deep-fat-fryer accident. Like the Toxic Avenger’s urban cousin, Humpty Hump was born out of tragic disfigurement, only to become a more powerful version of himself, skilled in the art of rap and dance.
Hump entered the world’s consciousness in 1990 with “The Humpty Dance,” but it wasn’t technically his first appearance; the character was featured in Digital Underground’s first music video, “Doowutchyalike,” a year earlier.
“The Humpty Dance” was more than just another MTV-championed rap song, it was a cultural phenomenon loosely inspired by the mythical entity of MC Hammer as a rapper… and a dance move.
Instead of baggy pants, Hump sports ’70s Jimmy Walker-meets-Steve Urkel threads. Buddy Holly glasses attach to a large prosthetic nose conceal his gnarly burn scars, while yielding his signature nasal voice.
Lyrically, “The Humpty Dance” rocks some memorable, and iconic, punches, beginning with the opening line: “Stop watcha doin’ cause I’m about to ruin the image and the style that you used to.”
There’s more: “I’ll eat up all your crackers and licorice/ Hey yo fat girl, come here, are you ticklish?”
Over the past 20-plus years “The Humpty Dance” has become a pop culture relic: More than 50 songs have sampled it including Ice Cube’s “Who’s the Mack?” and Gang Starr’s “Love Sick.” (All the sampling inspired “The Humpty Dance Awards” on Digital Underground’s The Body-Hat Syndrome, a dedication to everyone that’s given the tune love throughout the years.)
Oakland’s Shock G, aka Gregory Jacobs, aka the crazed genius behind Hump – who appears Friday at Casa Sorrento with hip-hop DJ-producer DJ Fuze, also a former member of Digital Underground – has conceived several additional bizzaro alter egos over the years, including MC Blowfish, Icey-Michael Boston, The Computer Woman, ButtaFly and Peanut Hakeem. But there will never be another Humpty, nor a better reason to get “busy in a Burger King bathroom.”
SHOCK G with DJ FUZE, FAMILY BIZZ and J REZZ perform at 9pm Friday, March 14, at Casa Sorrento, 393 Salinas St., Salinas. $20. 757-2720.
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