#FRIC AND FREAC CRACK#

She adds that while Frick and Frack weren't official members of the Juice Crew at the time, they knew they faced competition from Shan, Roxanne Shante and Biz Markie to secure a prized Marley Marl beat. Frick remembers Marley asking them to perform their lyrics a capella, after which he 'just came up with a beat behind the rap he came up with the dopest beat ever.' Along with Marley, the Juice Crew's MC Shan was present during that first session, which lasted for around two hours. Traveling by subway to Marley Marl's home studio in the Queensbridge public housing complex, Frick recalls a humble setup that involved two turntables, an 808 drum machine, a couple of microphones and foam-covered walls to provide noise reduction insulation. The duo recorded their demo at the studio one of their cousins utilized a connection to Marley Marl to facilitate a meeting with the producer off the strength of the demo tape. Future Run-DMC producer Larry Smith was also known to work out of the spot. Living in Southside, Frick and Frack were able to utilize The Grate studio, which was based close to their house and was run by Hanky Grate. 'We never had a problem with anybody to this day.' 'Roxanne Shante is still one of our best friends in the industry today,' says Frack. The duo remembers there being friendly competition among their fellow female MCs, but they also fostered a sense of solidarity. 'Salt-N-Pepa came out in '85 with 'The Showstopper' and we came out in '86. 'That's another reason, we said if Sandy can make a record we can definitely make one,” says Frack. I started listening to her song, and was like let's put this rap together and let's see how it sounds.'Īround this time, Frick and Frack would hang out with Sandra Denton, who would soon become widely known as Pepa from fellow Queens-based rap group Salt-N-Pepa. 'Then I heard a girl come out that was my age which was Roxanne Shante and I was like, if she can do it, I'm definitely doing it. 'I'd watch him in awe on the mic with his crew,' says Frick. Closer to home, the sisters witnessed their brother, who went by the MC name 'YG,' become a fixture on the nascent local scene as he performed at outdoor spots including Van Wyck Park and Lincoln Park. Then came the impact of the Sugarhill Gang-along with Blondie's “Rapture”-and the growing emergence of Hip-Hop in the pop culture world. The Jackson 5 were an initial inspiration.

The sisters started writing R&B songs when they were barely five-years-old. “We were opening the door to the world to see what's coming out of Southside.”īorn and raised in Southside, Frick and Frack grew up in a household that was soundtracked by soul, reggae and gospel.

'You had the South Bronx and Queensbridge, but we were Southside,” adds Frack. 'We were the first rap group that came out of Southside to be played on the radio,' recalls Frick.

#FRIC AND FREAC CRACK#

Consisting of the sisters Nadine and Adriane Greene-MCs who rapped as 'Frick' and 'Frack' respectively-the duo's debut, 'You Shouldn't Have Done It,' was a cautionary crack era tale that recounted the travails of a cast of real life neighborhood characters over crunching drums and dub-inflected bass tones that were hooked up by Juice Crew superproducer Marley Marl. In 1986, Frick and Frack staked a claim as Hip-Hop innovators from the Southside, Jamaica area of Queens, New York City.

Fric and freac