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Rob Base and DJ E-Z Rock was a hip-hop duo from Harlem, New York who are best known for their hit "It Takes Two." The duo consists of Rob Base (Robert Ginyard, born May 18, 1967) and DJ E-Z Rock (Rodney "Skip" Bryce).
CareerTheir first U.S. single and release was "DJ Interview," appeared on World to World, which later got them a recording contract with Profile Records in 1987.
The first Profile release was It Takes Two. It uses multiple samples from the James Brown and Lyn Collins 1972 song "Think (About It)." The track first became a regional hit and then slowly climbed the Billboard Hot 100, eventually topping the chart and picking up a multi-platinum single certification. The song also peaked at #3 on the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart.
An album, also called It Takes Two, was quickly put together and it produced a significant follow-up hit, "Joy and Pain," which sampled a song of the same name by Maze featuring Frankie Beverly, as well as "Put The Music Where Your Mouth Is" by The Olympic Runners. It also hit the Top 10 on the dance chart and climbed to #58 on the Hot 100. "Get On the Dance Floor," a track released to clubs in between the two singles, hit #1 on the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart in 1989. Boosted by those singles the It Takes Two album went platinum. However, vicious rumors started to circulate that Rob Base had legal problems for using samples from Maze's Frankie Beverly for the hit "Joy and Pain", and he had his own personal problems. DJ E-Z Rock also was forced to leave the group due to his own personal issues, so Rob Base was left to be a solo artist.
He responded in 1989 with The Incredible Base, his debut solo album
. It wasn't as successful as It Takes Two. One song from the album hit the dance chart in late 1989: "Turn It Out (Go Base)," credited only to Rob Base.
Rob Base and DJ E-Z Rock had a reunion album in 1994 with Break of Dawn, however the album did not do well critically or commercially.
In 2008, their song "It Takes Two" was ranked number 37 on VH1's 100 greatest songs of hip hop; also, on the same show, it is revealed that they are still active today.Citation needed
The duo recently performed in Boston with C+C Music Factory.
Pop culture references- The song "A Minute" by X-Treme, featured in DDRMAX2, samples the lyrics of "Turn it Out (Go Base)".
- "Joy and Pain" was also briefly referenced in the NBC sitcom Scrubs, as Dr. Christopher Turk sang the chorus during surgery in Season 1.
- Jason Mraz has used "Joy & Pain" on occasion as an outro to live versions of his song "No Doubling Back".
- DJ E-Z Rock was the inspiration for the My Dougie dance which can be seen at the end of their video "It Takes Two"
- In the song Classic, by Kanye West, he uses the line "I did a little bit of college, semesters it took 2 like Rob Base" in reference to their hit song, It Takes Two.
- In the Insane Clown Posse song "Down With The Clown", the group uses the line "Just don't forget me like you did with Rob Base."
- The song "It Takes Two" is used in the first episode of My Name is Earl
- "It Takes Two" also used in season one of HBO's "The Wire"
- Reggaeton Artits "Wisin & Yandel" sample this song in their 2008 single "Siguelo"
- The Black Eyed Peas sampled "It Takes Two" on their album The E.N.D for track 2, Rock That Body
- Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds sing the chorus of the song "It Takes Two" in the movie The Proposal
- A verse from the song is sung by Tina Fey, Scott Adsit and Jack McBrayer on the NBC sitcom 30 Rock in the Season 3 episode, Mamma Mia.
Discography
Copyright Citations
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