Ugly Duckling 'Bang for the Buck' album

What can anyone write about Andy, Dizzy and Young Einstein that hasn't already been read? To those who've come to see Ugly Duckling as the new millennium's hip hop prototype, to expect multi-platinum album after hit movie after smash television appearance... well, nothing.

But for those of us who dwell in a less utopian reality than those 20 or 30,000 devotees, Ugly Duckling's Journey to Anywhere is simply a fine debut full length due out very soon on 1500 Records. And worthy though it may be of such accolades and expectations, it's likely to take the slow and steady route to world domination. Seriously, we're talking months, possibly even a year.

Fewer still are familiar with the Ducks' humble beginnings. Ugly Duckling had the questionable fortune of forming in late 1993, at the height of the "G-Funk" era. As the gangsta stylings bred in UD's native Long Beach conquered the country, Andy, Dizzy and Young Einstein set off a battle of a distinctly different sort: a four-year struggle to get anyone to listen to their music. (It was also during this period that Einstein hit the crates with Long Beach beat-digging collective the Drum Majors, Andy toiled in a bookstore and Dizzy made some money, shall we say, "off the books.") In 1997, they released the independent 12" single "Fresh Mode," which actually put the Duckling on the underground hip hop map (and funded the purchase of Young Einstein's "dookie" gold rope).

Fresh Mode also landed Ugly Duckling a deal with 1500 Records one year later. The group's debut EP, also called Fresh Mode, followed in 1999, meeting with voluminous critical acclaim. But a sheaf of good reviews and a quarter won't get you a cup of coffee, if you know what I'm sayin'... Undaunted, the group did no less than three UK/Euro tours and two in the U.S., building a loyal cult following (especially in the UK, where Wall Of Sound's Bad Magic imprint issued Fresh Mode to a particularly enthusiastic response).

Ugly Duckling fans responded to the trio's positive and melodic old-school approach to hip-hop. Those who had given up on this music--or who had never been interested or aware of it in the first place--connected with UD's accessibility to anyone willing to listen, regardless of background... or rep. The Ducks met many of these soon-to-be fans on the road in the early days, sharing stages with the Roots, Kool Keith, Black Eyed Peas, Del The Funky Homosapien and Jurassic 5, to name a few. It was during this period of traveling and playing that Ugly Duckling gained not only new fans, but experience, exposure and determination.

Journey to Anywhere is Ugly Duckling's first full-length album release, its songs reflecting the "Journey" that preceded its creation. "I Did it Like That" and "Friday Night" recount years of paying dues and learning about hip-hop music ("When my brother laughed and my dad said it was a fad/I went into my room with a pen and a pad"), while "Introduckling" and "Rock On Top" address their international travels ("I heard they bootleg our record in the UK/That's okay, we rock on top like a toupee").

However, Journey to Anywhere is not by any means strictly autobiographical. The title track alone features cameos from Hong Kong Phooey, the Groovy Ghoulies and Pippi Longstocking, while "Pick-Up Lines" lambastes any number of stereotypical would-be ladies' men to hilarious effect. And then there's "A Little Samba," one of the most amusing send-ups of hip hop braggadocio on record.

"We want to make this artform fun again because it has become so mean and nasty," Andy explains. "It's not even about the music anymore. It's about trying to shock listeners into buying a CD and we'd like to change that." Perhaps he's on to something Journey to Anywhere could well be a touchstone along the route to a new era of hip-hop, one which is currently nurturing the emergence of interesting and creative new forces--not to mention the resurgence of classic artists and styles from rap's early days. If so, thank you Ugly Duckling... or at least good luck.

Ugly Duckling Trivia...True or False?

(This would be a chance to test the common sense that your parents claim you don't have.)
(the answers are somewhere on this page.)
1.Dizzy is an accomplished martial artist.
2.Ugly Duckling have performed at "Los Portales Night Club".
3.Young Einstein works at The Wherehouse.
4.Dizzy lives in a place called "The Pond"
5.Andy has won the Long Beach 10K Race.
6.Ugly Duckling considered calling their album "Duckystyle".
7.Einstein has been in 5 adult films.
8.The group was signed by "Big Benjamins Records" at one time.
9.Dizzy voted "NO" on Prop 215 (the legalization of marijuana for medicinal purposes.)
10.Andy stays on the east side of Long Beach.

Facts, And Then Some

FACT:
Andy played the drums in his high school church group at Grace Bretheren Long Beach for five years.

FACT:
Darrius Barrington "The Make-Believe Man" (Ugly Duckling Family Member) told a girl that he was going to play for the Seattle Supersonics in order to win her favor.

FACT:
Einstein is one of the phattest beat diggers on the west coast. He boasts that he has more beats then he'll ever need.

PART-FACT:
Einstein wears an 8-pound gold rope "dookie" chain around his neck at all performances. it has been estimated to be worth around $80,000 ($10,000 for each pound.)

FACT:
Andy and Einstein were kicked out of a "hot tub" chat room for making insensitive comments.

NON-FACT:
Dizzy wakes up at 5:30 AM every morning, jogs 4 miles, and eats a vegetarian breakfast before meditating for an hour.

FACT:
Dizzy was thanked on the first Compton's Most Wanted album, Straight Checkin' Em'. It reads, "Diz -- thanx for the free rides." He used to drive the group members around like a punk.

NON-FACT:
Their new LP sucks. It sounds like garbage. If you could sniff the cover, it would smell like monkey-butt. Ugly Duckling is the worst thing to happen to rap music since Wrecks N' Effect.

FACT:
A manager from 1500 Records/A&M, Van Riker, once fronted the 80's power-rock hair band named "Van Riker". Their platinum album, Bad Love, changed heavy metal music drastically in that decade. (Okay, that was a NON-FACT.)

TRIVIA QUESTIONS ANSWERS...
1) F, 2) T, 3) F, 4) T, 5) F, 6) F, 7) F, 8) F, 9) F (of course!) 10) T

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Ugly Duckling - Bang for the Buck