Login
Login

Audio Two

{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2022}}

{{Short description|American hip hop duo}}

{{More citations needed|date=October 2013}}

{{Infobox musical artist

| name = Audio Two

| image = Audio Two (hip hop duo).jpg

| caption = Gizmo and Milk Dee

| alias =

| origin = Brooklyn, New York City, U.S.

| instrument =

| genre = Hip hop

| occupation =

| years_active = 1985–1992

| label = {{hlist|First Priority|Atlantic}}

| website =

| current_members = Kirk "Milk Dee" Robinson
Nat "Gizmo" Robinson

| past_members =

}}

Audio Two was the Brooklyn, New York hip hop duo of emcee Kirk "Milk Dee" Robinson and DJ Nat "Gizmo" Robinson, best known for their first hit "Top Billin'".{{cite book|title=The Virgin Encyclopedia of Dance Music|editor=Colin Larkin|editor-link=Colin Larkin (writer)|publisher=Virgin Books|date=1998|edition=First|isbn=0-7535-0252-6|page=20}}

History

File:Top Billin' by Audio Two US 7-inch vinyl Side A.jpg

The duo's debut single, "Make it Funky", was released in 1987, but it was the B-side, "Top Billin{{'"}}, that became the chart hit. The beat — made by Milk Dee and produced by Daddy-O of Stetsasonic[http://allhiphop.com/2007/09/26/where-are-they-now-milk-dee/ Interview with Milk Dee] at AllHipHop.com — and Milk Dee's lyrics would be sampled and referenced time and time again, even by the group itself: both the group's full-length debut, 1988's What More Can I Say? and its 1990 follow-up, I Don't Care: The Album, were titled after lines from the song. However, the duo would never recapture its initial success. The singles of its second album, "I Get the Papers" and "On the Road Again," were only moderate hits. It was a time of rapid change in the hip hop market; gangsta rap was rising in popularity, and Audio Two found itself unsuccessfully struggling to maintain recording contracts and a fanbase.

Audio Two did, however, pave the way for the duo's labelmate MC Lyte, who launched her career with the hit single I Cram to Understand U (Sam). Lyte's 1998 album Seven & Seven featured a remake of "Top Billin{{'"}} — with the original instrumental — this time a duet between her and Milk. It has been a widely circulated rumor that both members of Audio Two were brothers of MC Lyte; however, this is untrue.{{Cite web|url=http://halftimeonline.net/blog/mc-lyte/|title=MC Lyte|website=Halftimeonline.net|date=January 14, 2013|access-date= December 23, 2019}} In 1994, Milk released a solo EP titled Never Dated on Rick Rubin's American Recordings. While the EP was notable for its single "Spam," a duet with the Beastie Boys' Adrock with drum programming by Mike D, aside from the devoted Beastie Boys fanbase the album generated little interest. Milk eventually rediscovered success by producing the singer Eamon, who recorded the 2004 hit "Fuck It (I Don't Want You Back)."

In 2007, Milk Dee recorded a verse for a remix of "I Get Money" by 50 Cent, thanking all the music artists that sampled "Top Billin'," which earned him royalties.

In recent years, Audio Two member Gizmo became a recording engineer under the name "You Can Ask" Giz. His audio work has appeared on albums by Donell Jones, Calvin Richardson, Jaheim and Tyrese, among others.{{cite web|title="You Can Ask" Giz|url = http://www.allmusic.com/artist/you-can-ask-giz-mn0001257653/credits|work = Credits|publisher = allmusic.com|access-date = September 2, 2013}}

Discography

= Studio albums =

class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;" border="1"

|+ List of studio albums, with selected chart positions

! scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:10em;" | Title

! scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:23em;" | Album details

! scope="col" colspan="2" | Peak chart positions

scope="col" style="width:2.8em;font-size:90%;"| US
{{Cite news|url=https://www.billboard.com/music/audio-two/chart-history/TLP|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200130003059/https://www.billboard.com/music/Audio-Two/chart-history/TLP|url-status=dead|archive-date=January 30, 2020|title=Audio Two Chart History|work=Billboard 200|access-date=October 19, 2021}}

! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;"| US
R&B
/HH
{{Cite news|url=https://www.billboard.com/music/audio-two/chart-history/BLP|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200130150341/https://www.billboard.com/music/Audio-Two/chart-history/BLP|url-status=dead|archive-date=January 30, 2020|title=Audio Two Chart History|work=Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums|access-date=October 19, 2021}}

scope="row" | What More Can I Say?

|

|align="center"|185

|align="center"|45

scope="row" | I Don't Care: The Album

|

  • Released: April 17, 1990
  • Label: First Priority Music/Atlantic
  • Formats: CD, LP, Cassette

|align="center"|—

|align="center"|74

colspan="4" style="font-size:90%"| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

= Unreleased albums =

  • The First Dead Indian (1992){{Cite web |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-first-dead-indian-mw0000085198 |title=Audio Two – The First Dead Indian |last= |first= |publisher=TiVo Corporation |work=AllMusic |access-date=October 18, 2021}}

= EPs =

class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"

|+ List of extended plays

! scope="col" rowspan="1" style="width:11em;" | Title

! scope="col" rowspan="1" style="width:16em;" | Details

!scope="col"| Track listings

scope="row" | Flip-Flop Mini-Album
(with The Alliance){{efn|"Published as "The Audio Two".}}

|

  • Released: 1986{{cite AV media notes | others=The Audio Two/The Alliance | date=1986 | title=Flip-Flop Mini-Album | type=track listing | publisher=First Priority Music | id=PR 2935}}
  • Label: First Priority
  • Formats: LP

| align="left" style="font-size: 85%;"|

{{hidden|Track listing|

  1. "I Like Cherries"
  2. "Chillin{{'"}}
  3. "The Freshest Slowest Jam"
  4. "Where's The Fellas"
  5. "We Got The Beat Part II (Rough, Rough)"
  6. "Why Oh Girl"

}}

= Singles =

== As lead artist ==

class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;" border="1"

|+ List of singles, showing year released and album name

! scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:18em;"| Title

! scope="col" rowspan="2"| Year

! scope="col" colspan="1"| Peak chart positions

! scope="col" rowspan="2"| Album

scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;"| US
Rap
{{cite web|url=https://www.billboard.com/music/audio-two/chart-history/RAP |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200204071244/https://www.billboard.com/music/Audio-Two/chart-history/RAP |url-status=dead |archive-date=February 4, 2020 |title=Audio Two – US Hot Rap Songs |publisher=billboard.com |access-date=October 22, 2021}}
scope="row"| "A Christmas Rhyme"{{cite AV media notes | others=Audio Two | date=1985 | title=A Christmas Rhyme/Audio Two's Jam | type=track listing | publisher= MCM Records | id=MCM-1203}}

| 1985

|align="center"| —

| {{N/A|Non-album single}}

scope="row"| "Make it Funky"{{cite AV media notes | others=Audio Two | date=1987 | title=Make It Funky/Top Billin' | type=track listing | publisher=First Priority Music | id=FPM 2938}}

| rowspan="2"| 1987

|align="center"| —

| rowspan="5"| What More Can I Say?

scope="row"| "Top Billin'"

|align="center"| —

scope="row"| "Hickeys Around My Neck"{{cite AV media notes | others=MC Lyte | date=1991 | title=Act Like You Know | type=track listing | publisher=First Priority/Atlantic Street | id=PR 4822}}

| rowspan="3"| 1988

|align="center"| —

scope="row"| "Many Styles/The Questions"{{cite AV media notes | others=MC Lyte | date=1991 | title=Act Like You Know | type=track listing | publisher=First Priority/Atlantic Street | id=PR 4822}}

|align="center"| —

scope="row"| "I Don't Care"{{cite AV media notes | others=MC Lyte | date=1997 | title=Have U Ever (Sharam Jey Mix) | type=track listing | publisher=EastWest | id=PM 1702}}

|align="center"| —

scope="row"| "On The Road Again/Interlude One"

| rowspan="2"| 1990

|align="center"| 16

| rowspan="2"| I Don't Care: The Album

scope="row"| "I Get the Papers"{{cite AV media notes | others=MC Lyte | date=1991 | title=Act Like You Know | type=track listing | publisher=First Priority/Atlantic Street | id=PR 4822}}

|align="center"| —

colspan="4" style="font-size:90%"| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Notes

{{notelist}}

References

{{reflist}}

External links

  • [http://www.beastiemania.com/whois/milk/ Who Is Milk D] at BeastieMania.com
  • [http://www.rapreviews.com/archive/BTTL_neverdated.html Milk D's Never Dated review] at RapReviews.com
  • [http://www.hoodhype.com/blog/?p=703 Milk Dee Interview] at HoodHype.com
  • [https://web.archive.org/web/20071017181252/http://riotsound.com/hip-hop/rap/interviews/MC-Milk-Dee-Audio-Two/index.php Milk Dee interview] at RiotSound.com
  • [http://www.myspace.com/mcmilkdee MC Milk Dee at MySpace.com]

{{Authority control}}

Category:African-American musical duos

Category:Musical duos from New York (state)

Category:First Priority Music artists

Category:American hip-hop duos

Category:East Coast hip-hop groups

Category:Hip-hop groups from New York City

Category:Musical groups established in 1985

Category:Musical groups disestablished in 1992

Category:Musical groups from Brooklyn

Category:1985 establishments in New York City