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Spitkicker

{{Short description|Artist collective}}

The Spitkicker collective is a group of artists that collaborated in the early 2000s to produce a variety of media, mostly focused on hip-hop and social activism. The group was founded in 2000, and its core members included De La Soul, Pharoahe Monch, Talib Kweli, and Dave Chappelle. Members of the group have reconnected for collaborations until at least 2020.{{Cite web |date=2020-10-28 |title=De La Soul's 'Remove 45' Assembles Chuck D, Styles P, And More |url=https://uproxx.com/music/de-la-soul-remove-45-chuck-d-styles-p/ |access-date=2024-12-26 |website=UPROXX |language=en-US}}

History

= Spitkicker Tour =

Spitkicker started via a U.S. hip-hop tour for a set of socially conscious artists in 2000.{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2000-07-15 |title=THE POSITIVE POWER OF HIP-HOP |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/2000/07/15/the-positive-power-of-hip-hop/ |access-date=2024-12-25 |website=Chicago Tribune |language=en-US}} The first tour featured De La Soul, Talib Kweli, Pharoahe Monch, Biz Markie, Hi-Tek, and Common.{{Cite news |last=Harrington |first=Richard |date=July 20, 2000 |title=Spotlight: De Las Soul's Future: 3 CDs and Rising |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/2000/07/21/spotlight/6d7c759e-0a93-4fb2-a25a-63ce471ec9ed/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170828191417/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/2000/07/21/spotlight/6d7c759e-0a93-4fb2-a25a-63ce471ec9ed/ |archive-date=August 28, 2017 |access-date=December 25, 2024 |newspaper=Washington Post}} The tour was designed with "like-minded lyricists" in mind, rather than "label-mates", and according to one review, the name "Spitkicker" "borrows from the notion of spit, or water, being the most necessary ingredient for growth".{{Cite web |title=A message in that movement ; Spitkicker Tour members bring back verbal sophistication to rap {{!}} The Seattle Times |url=https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/20000623/4028674/a-message-in-that-movement--spitkicker-tour-members-bring-back-verbal-sophistication-to-rap |access-date=2024-12-26 |website=archive.seattletimes.com}}

The tour met with positive reviews, which labeled some of the artists as revered in the underground hip-hop scene,{{Cite web |last=Baker |first=Soren |date=2000-07-05 |title=Hip-Hop Tour Offers Comedy, Commentary |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2000-jul-05-ca-47782-story.html |access-date=2024-12-26 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}} and largely described concerts as entertaining, comedic, clever, and thoughtful.{{Cite web |last=Anderson |first=Brett |date=2000-07-21 |title=The Spitkicker Tour |url=https://washingtoncitypaper.com/article/267126/the-spitkicker-tour/ |access-date=2024-12-26 |website=Washington City Paper |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=Augusto |first=Troy J. |date=2000-07-05 |title=Spitkicker Tour |url=https://variety.com/2000/music/reviews/spitkicker-tour-1200463569/ |access-date=2024-12-26 |website=Variety |language=en-US}}{{Cite news |last=Pareles |first=Jon |date=December 31, 2000 |title=MUSIC: THE YEAR IN REVIEW; A Business Finds New Ways to Feast On Its Young |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2000/12/31/arts/music-the-year-in-review-a-business-finds-new-ways-to-feast-on-its-young.html |access-date=December 25, 2024 |work=The New York Times |pages=Section 2; Page 30}} Critics noted that acts tended to cut against the dominant style of rap at the time, focusing on underground hip-hop rather than gangsta rap or hardcore hip-hop.{{Cite news |last=Pareles |first=Jon |date=July 22, 2000 |title=RAP REVIEW; Dissension in the Ranks Over Rap Lyrics |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2000/07/22/arts/rap-review-dissension-in-the-ranks-over-rap-lyrics.html |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20150527135702/http://www.nytimes.com/2000/07/22/arts/rap-review-dissension-in-the-ranks-over-rap-lyrics.html |archive-date=2015-05-27 |access-date=2024-12-25 |work=The New York Times |language=en}} Reviews also directly compared the messaging of the Spitkicker tour to the simultaneous Up In Smoke Tour and its artists like Eminem, Dr. Dre, and Snoop Dogg. After the success of this tour, the collective aimed to repeat yearly national tours, and completed at least three,{{Cite web |title=About Us |url=http://www.spitkickers.com/about.htm |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030724113923/http://www.spitkickers.com/about.htm |archive-date=July 24, 2003 |access-date=December 25, 2024 |website=SpitKicker}} but the 2001 tour had scheduling issues when it merged with the Mekka Tour, which was then cancelled.{{Cite magazine |author=Billboard Staff |date=2001-07-10 |title=Spitkicker Tour Merges With Mekka |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/spitkicker-tour-merges-with-mekka-79170/ |access-date=2024-12-26 |magazine=Billboard |language=en-US}}{{Cite magazine |author=Billboard Staff |date=2001-08-01 |title=Black Wednesday For Electronic Music Fests |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/black-wednesday-for-electronic-music-fests-78909/ |access-date=2024-12-26 |magazine=Billboard |language=en-US}} By the time the 2001 Spitkicker tour was rescheduled, only De La Soul, Talib Kweli, Hi-Tek, and Biz Markie remained on the roster.{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2001-10-16 |title=The Spitkickers Tour Is Ready To Launch |url=https://hiphopdx.com/news/id.458/title.the-spitkickers-tour-is-ready-to-launch |access-date=2024-12-25 |website=HipHopDX |language=en}}

= Spitkicker Community =

The Spitkickers collective formed around many of the same artists from the inaugural Spitkicker tour, but added new artists like those of A Tribe Called Quest, and other types of performers like comedian Dave Chappelle.{{Cite book |last=Hess |first=Mickey |title=Icons of hip hop : an encyclopedia of the movement, music, and culture |publisher=Greenwood Press |year=2007 |isbn=9780313084386 |location=Westport, Connecticut |pages=379}} During the year 2000, while the first tour was going, the Spitkicker artists branched into online media, centering around their new site spitkicker.com (later changed to spitkickers.com).{{Cite web |last=McFayden |first=Brian |date= |title=de la soul & common: on the spitkicker tour |url=http://www.mtv.com/bands/archive/s/spit00/index.jhtml |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041011212803/http://www.mtv.com/bands/archive/s/spit00/index.jhtml |archive-date=2004-10-11 |access-date=2024-12-25 |website=MTV}} The site became an online community for the Spitkicker artists and their fans, with some noted parallels to the Okayplayer online community that grew out from The Roots.{{Cite web |last=Hellerbach |first=Miki |date=2024-02-23 |title=Okayplayer Celebrates 25 Years With 25 Essential Artists From the OKP Boards |url=https://www.okayplayer.com/okayplayer-25-years-25-artists |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240311071601/https://www.okayplayer.com/okayplayer-25-years-25-artists |archive-date=2024-03-11 |access-date=2024-12-25 |website=Okayplayer}}{{Cite web |last=Setaro |first=Shawn |title=A Tribe Called Chef: Jarobi White's Move From Rapping To Food |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/shawnsetaro/2016/08/04/jarobi-white-rapping-food/ |access-date=2024-12-26 |website=Forbes |language=en}} The first question in the Spitkicker.com FAQ addressed this topic from the collective's perspective:

While there are many similarities between us and our fam, Okayplayer.com, there are just as many differences as well. Aside from having different artists involved, Spitkicker is a movement that extends far past the website. Spitkicker offers Tours, MIX CD's, merchandise, SpitKronicle, parties, exclusive downloads, Spitkicker radio, charity auctions, contests, as well as opportunities to chat with some of your favorite artists. You will also see more differences as we continue to involve.{{Cite web |date= |title=FAQ's |url=http://www.spitkickers.com/faq.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040626052642/http://www.spitkickers.com/faq.htm |archive-date=2004-06-26 |access-date=2024-12-25 |website=SpitKicker}}

Spitkicker artists used their website to communicate directly with their fans: De La Soul ran their own promotion via the site after the collapse of their label, and artists shared exclusive news via the site's mailing list.{{Cite web |last=Galloway |first=Matt |date=2003-02-20 |title=De La solo - NOW Magazine |url=https://nowtoronto.com/music/de-la-solo/ |access-date=2024-12-26 |website=NOW Toronto |language=en-CA}}{{Cite web |date=2005-08-16 |title=Yo, What Happened To Peace? And Rakim? |url=https://www.thefader.com/2005/8/16/yo-what-happened-to-peace-and-rakim |access-date=2024-12-25 |website=The Fader}} In February 2003, De La Soul claimed the site got 250,000 hits each month, and by 2005, they were using the website to spur a fan petition towards MTV.{{Cite book |last=Hess |first=Mickey |title=Is Hip Hop Dead? |date=2007-08-30 |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing USA |isbn=9781567207217 |pages=39–40}} The website also appears as a character in their Art Official Intelligence albums.{{Cite web |title=Soul-Searching with De La Soul {{!}} Arts {{!}} The Harvard Crimson |url=https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2002/1/11/soul-searching-with-de-la-soul-september/ |access-date=2024-12-26 |website=www.thecrimson.com}} Message boards on the site focused on hip-hop and pop culture,{{Cite magazine |last=Whitaker |first=Lang |date=2017-03-03 |title=A Tribe Called Quest's Jarobi White & Chef Marcus Samuelsson on Cooking, Hip-Hop & Julia Child |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/rb-hip-hop/a-tribe-called-quests-jarobi-white-marcus-samuelsson-7709381/ |access-date=2024-12-26 |magazine=Billboard |language=en-US}} while Spitkronicle (later, Spit) was a staffed online magazine that hosted interviews, reviews, and updates on collective members.{{Cite web |date=2003-03-01 |title=SpitKronicle {{!}} Vol.2 Issue.2 |url=http://www.spitkickers.com/spitkronicle/vol2-issue2/index.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030425133348/http://www.spitkickers.com/spitkronicle/vol2-issue2/index.htm |archive-date=2003-04-25 |access-date=2024-12-25 |website=Spitkickers}}{{Cite news |last=John-Sandy II |first=Rene |date=2006-10-01 |title=Publisher's Letter |url=http://www.spitkicker.com/spit_5_1/spit_5_1.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070723095713/http://www.spitkicker.com/spit_5_1/spit_5_1.pdf |archive-date=2007-07-23 |access-date=2024-12-25 |work=Spit |page=3 |volume=5 |issue=1}} Other projects hosted by the Spitkickers included Spitkicker Radio, collaborations and mixtapes, and recurring parties. The collective released eight CDs under the "Next Spit" name, and inclusion in one of these compilations was once a prize for independent artists participating in a Music Nation hip-hop competition.{{Cite web |last=Cooper |first=Roman |date=2007-08-13 |title=Music Nation Announces Quarterfinalist in Hip Hop Competition |url=https://hiphopdx.com/news/id.5573/title.music-nation-announces-quarterfinalist-in-hip-hop-competition |access-date=2024-12-25 |website=HipHopDX |language=en}}

Discography

  • Spitkicker Mixtape Vol. 1 - 2003 - mixed by Knockout Kingz, DJ KO and DJ Rahlo - Hosted by De La Soul
  • Spitkicker Collabos Vol. 1 - 2004 - mixed by DJ Ayres and DJ Eleven - Hosted by De La Soul
  • Spitkicker Collabos Vol. 2 - 2004 -mixed by DJ Ayres and DJ Eleven - Hosted by Phife Dawg, J-Live, and Wordsworth
  • The Best of Talib Kweli - 2004 - mixed by DJ Eleven - Talib Kweli
  • Rock Co. Kane Flow - 2004 - De La Soul ft. MF Doom
  • The Best of A Tribe Called Quest Vol. 1 (with Smokin' Needles) - 2005 - mixed by DJ Rasta Root - Executive Producer Phife Dawg
  • Fight Music - The Best of M.O.P. - 2006 - M.O.P.
  • The Next Spit, Vol.s 1-8 - mixed by DJ Crossphada, DJ Eleven, J-Live, DJ Balance

Members

See also

References

{{reflist}}

Category:American music websites

Category:Hip-hop collectives

Category:American artist groups and collectives

Category:Co-headlining concert tours

Category:Concert tours of North America

Category:2000 concert tours