Synopsis

The Troubleneck Brothers take viewers back to the foundations of hip hop in this performance-driven 1994 video. The Harlem and Uptown crew rap directly to the camera in street settings, surrounded by the visual language of classic hip hop: DJing, breakdancing, graffiti, boombox culture and crew-based swagger. Rather than following a conventional storyline, the clip functions as a salute to the culture's early days, matching the track's nostalgic lyrics with energetic group performances and old-school imagery.

Factoids & Trivia

• The Troubleneck Brothers were a seven-member crew associated with Harlem and Uptown. The lineup included Soundwave, Prophet, Blunt, Stepchild, Moetown, Natural One and Shaft.

• "Back To The Hip-Hop" was released in 1994 through StepSun Music Entertainment as a single backed with "Pure."

• The single was issued with several versions, including radio, street, instrumental, acapella, classic and old-school mixes.

• The track is built around a prominent bassline and a collage of sampled material, including Ethel Beatty's "It's Your Love" and excerpts associated with early hip hop records.

• The song's backward-looking theme placed it within the early-1990s return to foundational hip hop imagery, when b-boying, graffiti, DJ technique and large rap crews were again central to music-video aesthetics.

• The group later changed its name to 36Zero and released material under that identity. Following label disagreements and legal problems, the members went their separate ways around 1995.

• The instrumental later gained additional exposure through its inclusion on the Stereo MC's edition of the DJ-Kicks series.

• The Troubleneck Brothers' early recordings remained particularly valued by underground rap collectors, even though the group did not achieve a long commercial run.