Digital Underground

Best known for their 1990 crossover hit "The Humpty Dance," Digital Underground blended American hip-hop with offbeat humor, jazz influences, new jack swing, and a funky sound modeled after Parliament Funkadelic. The band was formed in Oakland, California, in 1987, with Gregory Edward Jacobs — better known as "Shock G," as well as his sexually-charged alter ego, "Humpty Hump" — serving as the group's leader. Digital Underground's debut single, "Underwater Rimes," was released in 1988 and became a Number 1 hit in the Netherlands, followed by the Top 20 rap hit "Doowutchyalike" in 1989. Both songs appeared on the group's debut album, Sex Packets, which was released in 1990 and went platinum. Much of the album's success was attributed to "The Humpty Dance," a humorous single that climbed to Number 1 on the Billboard Rap Singles chart, Number 7 on the R&B chart, and Number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100. "Kiss You Back," the first single from Digital Underground's sophomore release, Sons of the P, peaked at Number 40 on the Hot 100 in 1991, but Digital Underground never managed to revisit the commercial heights of "The Humpty Dance" again. Nevertheless, albums like 1993's The Body-Hat Syndrome and 1996's Future Rhythm fared moderately well on the Billboard R&B chart, and Shock G enjoyed a parallel career as a successful producer for Tupac Shakur. Following the release of 2008's ..Cuz a D.U. Party Don't Stop!, Digital Underground officially disbanded. More than a dozen years later, Shock G passed away in a Florida hotel room on April 22, 2021. He was 57 years old.