Case Of The P.T.A.: A 25th Anniversary Retrospective On Leaders Of The New School By Dart Adams
Leaders Of The New School emerged in the hip-hop field during one of the most competitive years in the culture's history. Comprised of Uniondale, Long Island natives Bryan "Charlie Brown" Higgins, James "Dinco D" Jackson, Brooklyn native Trevor "Busta Rhymes" Smith Jr. and his cousin, Sheldon "Cut Monitor Milo" Scott — the group managed to bridge the gap between the "old school" and "new school" eras of hip-hop, while also ushering the rap game into its second Golden Era. Their influence was so widespread that it couldn't be measured in metrics such as Billboard chart positions, RIAA plaques or units sold. With their place in hip-hop history cemented, let's break down why this ragtag bunch of enterprising MCs known as the Leaders Of The New Schooland their debut, A Future Without A Past, was a classic effort that influenced generations of emcees that followed.
The early origins of the group that would eventually become the Leaders Of The New School read like a who's who of rap legends and luminaries. Busta Rhymes and Charlie Brown were given their emcee names by the one, the only Chuck D of Public Enemy after performing for the Long Island based Spectrum City crew at a talent show circa 1989. Shortly afterward, The Bomb Squad put them under their wings where they learned how to produce by spending a significant amount of time with The Shocklees (Hank + Keith Shocklee) and Eric "Vietnam" Sadler at 51o South Franklin Street in Hempstead, Long Island. The trio proved to be quick studies and even quicker at putting together their own demons... occasional clashes notwithstanding.
Time would eventually go on and the guys were offered the option of performing as one of two group names chosen by The Bomb Squad: Leaders Of The New School or Young Black Teenagers. When they were informed by The Bomb Squad that they were mentoring / developing another crew who were interested in taking the L.O.N.S. name, the quartet of emcees were told that both crews would have to battle for it. Putting forth the challenge by their elders, both sides had to make a song called "F**k The Old School," and whichever one was the better song would win the L.O.N.S. designator. The loser would have to settle for Young Black Teenagers as their group name. While we have been shown already who won, both groups would create their individual songs and go on to perform them for The Bomb Squad.
The rest, as they say, is history...
The process of being a professional emcee, at that time, meant 24/7 grinding, making and shopping demos and refining one's live show. Busta Rhymes and Charlie Brown would often + constantly butt heads as part of a power struggle between the two ever since the group was constructed. In public, each player would present a united front to the crowd + media, maintaining that there was no one man above the crew, and that they were all Leaders Of The New School. But behind the scenes, the in-fighting and creative differences over artistic direction and musical aesthetics were rooted between Busta and Charlie as they each considered themselves the leader of the rap group. Thankfully, for the audience and hip-hop lovers, all was forgotten once it was time for the group to take the stage and perform.
Fact of the matter is that Charlie Brown approached then Tommy Boy A&R Dante Ross with the L.O.N.S. demo tape. Fast forward months later, and Ross was heading out of the door for an opportunity at Elektra Records and contacted Brown. By that time, Busta Rhymes had left the group and was about to go solo. Dante vehemently refused to sign the group without Bussa Bus, so the Dungeon Dragon was brought back into the fold. Leaders Of The New School signed their record deal and made their first appearance at Elektra's 40th anniversary concept anthology of covers called Rubaiyat: Elektra's 40th Anniversary. Leaders Of The New School made a song sampling Pieces Of A Dream's "Mount Airy Groove," and were the lone rap act featured on the entire album. When the compilation / anthology hit the stores in late 1990, the project didn't make much noise, but L.O.N.S. clearly stood out heads and shoulders above the rest.
From there, L.O.N.S. hobnobbed with the best and brightest within the rap world by becoming mainstays in the New York rap club circuit of the early '90s. It was then and there that L.O.N.S. became acquainted with Native Tongue members and affiliates such as De La Soul, A Tribe Called Quest, Black Sheep at night spots like Kilamanjaro, Payday and Powerhouse. They even became cool with Ice Cube as he spent time at 510 with The Bomb Squad doing pre-production for his debut solo LP, Amerikka's Most Wanted. During this time in hip-hop history, respect was being earned, bonds were established and eventually L.O.N.S. was granted an appearance on "Scenario," a remix track from ATCQ's Low End Theory album. On the strength of a recommendation from The Bomb Squad, L.O.N.S. also had an opportunity to do production work on Nikki D's 1991 Def Jam LP, Daddy's Little Girl.
Leaders Of The New School worked on their debut album, A Future Without A Past, with SD50 (consisting of Dante Ross' production team, John Gamble and Geebi Dajani), The Vibe Chemist Backspin, former mentor Eric "Vietnam" Sadler and even produced tracks themselves. Despite the constant back-and-forth, fighting jockeying for head honcho position and the constant power struggles, L.O.N.S. sounded like a tight, effective and productive rap group on record who were on the same page in every regard. Specializing in routines and choruses, L.O.N.S. performed in unison, much like the groups of yesteryear they grew up listening to. For Bus, Dinco and Charlie, they brought in an infectious youthful energy that made them different than their contemporaries. The blend of ill and distinct voices, creative and crazy styles and their insane live performances made them appealing, especially to the young budding rap fan who just was becoming familiar with the culture.
Leaders Of The New School represented that high school, new to college, under 21 rap fan who formed their own sub-group after being kept out of the clubs by the more upscale venue that favored House Music and New Jack Swing. Dying for somebody like L.O.N.S. to represent them and their experiences on the radio, the crew fit like a lace glove on a pair of ashy knuckles. Incidentally, Leaders Of The New School's lead single was "Case Of The P.T.A." with the B-side, "Teachers, Don't Teach Us Nonsense". Needless to say, both songs instantly caught fire on mixtape, mix-shows and college radio throughout early 1991 and stayed in the rotation for months. Helped by the fact they performed both songs on FOX's then-new hit sketch comedy series, In Living Color, the gang's first television appearance was aided by their friendship with the show's choreographer Rosie Perez. When the episode aired on February 17, 1991, a day or two after their lead single was officially released, L.O.N.S. was put on for the world to see.
BET's Rap City, MTV's Yo! MTV Raps, as well as Ralph McDaniels' Video Music Boxplayed the video for "Case Of The P.T.A." on regular rotation, much to the chagrin of those who were discovering sounds from other regions in the country. "The East Coast Stomp" became the big dance craze during that time, and L.O.N.S. quickly became the favorite rap group amongst many marginalized young rap fans whose numbers grew to become described as "backpackers" by the rest of the music-digesting public. With the support of the mainstream, the underground DJ and the college circuit, "Case Of The P.T.A." reached the Top 5 of the Billboard Hot Rap Singles chart, peaking at no. 4. June 1991 found the guys releasing their next single, "Sobb Story," which contained the B-side, "Sound Of The Zeekers," and quickly caught fire on the radio and the mixtape circuit. The former cut became even more popular when the video was released and climbed up the rap charts.
You need to fully understand who else was in the game to understand just how impressive of an accomplishment this was. If you look back during the era, groups like GangStarr, Edo. G & Da Bulldogs, DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince, De La Soul, Main Source, P.M. Dawn, KMD, N.W.A. and Pete Rock & CL Smooth all had songs dominating the airwaves during that time, so it was a great feat to not only enter the rotation but to manage to climb up the charts. "Sob Story" became another Top 10 hit for L.O.N.S. on the Billboard Hot Rap Singles Chart, peaking at no. 8. With sustained hype, two powerful singles + videos out in the game, A Future Without A Past was released on July 30, 1991, and it had quite a bit of competition to overcome. Slick Rick, DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince, Geto Boys, Compton's Most Wanted, Marky Mark & The Funky Bunch and Main Source all dropped albums that either sold well or were well-received. Even against those overwhelming odds, Leaders Of The New School managed to put together a concise album that has withstood the test of time.
Let's break it all the way down, shall we?
Based around the intersection of the worlds of the street, home and school, A Future Without A Past instantly resonated with its listeners since the overwhelming majority of them were between high school and college. The album was strung together with skits like "Homeroom," "Lunchroom" and "Afterschool," which gave the effort an arc and overall flow. Sequenced in a way to give the individual listener the best experience possible, A Future Without A Past contained 17 total tracks, which would take them through a full day of school, complete with covering what happens after dismissal. There were songs that addressed the dangers of unprotected sex and drug usage ("Just When You Thought It Was Safe"), bullying ("Show Me A Hero"), stress ("Too Much On My Mind"), peer pressure ("Transformers"), playing hooky and planning a house part ("The International Zone Coaster"). With "Case Of The P.T.A." and "Teachers, Don't Teach Us Nonsense" serving as the mission statements from L.O.N.S., these cuts cemented the group's persona and further fleshed out the album.
Busta Rhymes even had his own solo tracks on A Future Without A Past, as "Feminine Fatt" and "Show Me A Hero" allowed the verbose MC to shine on his own. Charlie Brown equally went for solo on "What's The Pinocchio's Theory?" and Dinco D had his own standalone track, "My Ding-A-Ling". Produced by Busta Rhymes, "Sound Of The Zeekers" was the album's posse track and featured the debuts of Rumpletilskinz and Crackerjacks of The New School Society. Milo In De Dance's first verse on the album was featured on this jawn alongside Kollie Weed, which had some much needed Reggae flavor to it. A Future Without A Past would eventually close with the Charlie Brown-produced "Where Do We Go From Here?" which opened with a verse from Cut Monitor Milo. The final ending came with crew shoutouts over Busta Rhyme's patented beat-boxing, which did absolutely nothing but further endear them to their core listening audience.
And as everyone on the album had the opportunity to showcase their individual skills, most rap fans had the general consensus that Busta Rhymes was not only the de facto leader of L.O.N.S., but the group's star attraction. This news didn't sit well with Charlie Brown or Dinco D who always had to hear constantly how well-received Bussa Bus's verses were on his individual tracks. The brewing beef only intensified later after A Tribe Called Quest's album dropped and made the rounds on charts and tape decks shortly after A Future Without A Past.
On October 13, 1991, Leaders Of The New School were brought back, yet again, to perform on In Living Color for the show's third season. They performed "Teachers, Don't Teach Us Nonsense" to close out the episode. At the time, they also appeared on A Tribe Called Quest's recently released The Low End Theory and released a single of their own, "The International Zone Coast," which quickly moved up the rap charts. By the end of October 1991, L.O.N.S. contributed a song to the Uptown/MCA backed Warner Bros. film, Strictly Business, which starred Tommy Davidson and was well-received by the public. Much to everyone's surprise, "The International Zone Coaster" would become a no. 1 hit on Billboard's Hot Rap Single Chart on April 11, 1992. Simultaneously, "Scenario" and its remix were climbing the rap charts after the group appeared on The Arsenio Hall Show to perform it alongside Queens' own A Tribe Called Quest.
Just to give you all an idea of how big of an achievement that was for the time, let me hip you: "Scenario" never even cracked the top five of the Billboard Hot Rap Singles Chart in 1992, even though it made a run at the Top 40 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart. It ultimately peaked at no. 57, but it marked a moment when it became official that we were in a new Golden Era of Rap by that time. Busta Rhyme's star was on the rise, as he had already logged time in with Big Daddy Kane, KMD, A Tribe Called Quest and Heavy D & The Boyz, which helped to raise the group's overall profile even further. As the early '90s went on, it seemed as if everywhere you looked hip-hop heads were wearing backpacks and doing the "East Coast Stomp". This new wave of energy created groups that were attempting to incorporate the old school elements of chanting in unison with the new trend of high-energy, sing-song choruses.
Leaders Of The New School opened the door for the likes of ONYX,who brought their own high-energy, call-and-response aesthetic to hardcore rap. Busta Rhymes, Charlie Brown and Dinco D would continue their legacy building through recording with the Godfather Of Soul, James Brown for 1993's "Can't Get Any Harder" cut. L.O.N.S. had, at the time, became Rosie Perez's favorite group and when she got her own deal for her own music based program (HBO's Society's Ride) — she not only named it after an L.O.N.S. lyric, but she tapped them to do the theme music when the show was finally green-lit in the summer of 1993.
A Future Without A Past never went Gold. In fact, none of the members of Leaders Of The New School had singles that went Platinum. Their classic feature appearance on "Scenario" (Remix) was the only song to earn them an official RIAA plaque. L.O.N.S.'s importance, influence and contributions to the continuum of rap music simply can't be measured by traditional accolades or music industry metrics. If you were old enough to watch MTV's The Grind in fall 1992, you would see their DNA in the movements of the show's dancers doing the "East Coast Stomp". It was evident that their legacy would extend far beyond the rap world, yet the sad part would have longstanding ramification as the classic album is currently out of print. With God creating the mind that built iTunes, we offer thanks as that is the only way you can purchase this unforgettable LP. You should revisit (or hear for the first time) this album. Keep in mind that Charlie Brown, Dinco D and Busta Rhymes were only teenagers at the time when they collaborated on, planned out, executed and produced this album.
25 years later, A Future Without A Past still stands up as timeless piece of art.
Dart Adams is Boston-based creative who has written for theSTASHED, NPR and Producers I Know. Follow his latest and greatest (and us!) @Dart_Adams on Twitter.