Fu-Schnickens were a hip-hop music trio from East Flatbush, Brooklyn, New York known for their cartoonish lyrics, pop culture references, and the first hip-hop artists to rap in backwards fashion.
The members consisted of Roderick "Chip Fu" Roachford, Joe "Moc Fu" Jones, and Lennox "Poc Fu" Maturine. In the group's name, "Fu" stood for "For Unity" and "Schnicken" was a made-up word that meant "coalition." After performing at a rap event at Howard University, the trio was signed to Jive Records.
In November of 1991, they released their debut single, "Ring the Alarm" which peaked at #6 on Billboard's Rap Singles chart by the next year.
In February of 1992, Fu-Schnickens released their debut album, "F.U. Don't Take it Personal" which peaked at #64 on the Billboard 200, #13 on Billboard's R&B Albums chart, and topped Billboard's Heatseekers Albums chart.
The recording sessions for the album took place at Battery Studios in New York, New York. The album was certified Gold by the RIAA by late 1992, shipping 500,000 copies in the U.S.
The second single from the album, "La Schmoove" featuring A Tribe Called Quest member, Phife Dawg, peaked at #3 on Billboard's Hot Rap Singles chart, #36 on Billboard's Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales chart, and #30 on Billboard's Hot R&B Singles chart, staying on the chart for 11 weeks.
The last single from the album, "True Fuschnick" peaked at #18 on Billboard's Hot Rap Singles chart, #14 on Billboard's Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart, #45 on Billboard's Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales chart, and #97 on Billboard's Hot R&B Singles chart, staying on the chart for a week.
In 1993, the trio started working on their follow-up album. They recorded a fast-paced song entitled "What's Up Doc?" which featured cartoon Bugs Bunny saying his famous catchphrase, but they couldn't get a sample clearance from Warner Bros. and ended up shelving the song.
Then-rookie NBA star, Shaquille "Shaq" O'Neal talked about his love of hip-hop music and stated that Fu-Schnickens were his favorite rap group which prompted them to contact Shaq for a collaboration. Shaq recorded a verse that was added on the already-recorded "What's Up Doc?" with the trio and Shaq saying, "What's up, doc?" to replace the Bugs Bunny sample. Even though the album wasn't completed, the song was released quickly as a single to capitalize on Shaq's popularity.
The lead single from their soon-to-be second album entitled, "What's Up Doc? (Can We Rock?)" became a hit, peaking at #39 on the Billboard Hot 100, #22 on Billboard's Hot Rap Singles chart, #26 on Billboard's Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart, #16 on Billboard's Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales chart, and #56 on Billboard's Hot R&B Singles chart, staying on the chart for 13 weeks. The song was also featured on Shaq's debut album, "Shaq Diesel."
In 1994, Fu-Schnickens released their second album, "Nervous Breakdown" which peaked at #81 on the Billboard 200 and #19 on Billboard's R&B Albums chart. During that time, the rap music scene had changed dramatically and there wasn't much of an audience for their style of music.
The follow-up single, "Breakdown" peaked at #67 on the Billboard Hot 100, #7 on Billboard's Hot Rap Singles chart, #10 on Billboard's Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales chart, and #38 on Billboard's Hot R&B Singles chart, staying on the chart for 20 weeks.
During that same year, Fu-Schnickens appeared on the finale of "The Arsenio Hall Show" with other artists such as KRS-One, the Wu-Tang Clan, Naughty by Nature, MC Lyte, Guru, Mad Lion, Yo-Yo, Das EFX, CL Smooth, and A Tribe Called Quest.
In 1996, Fu-Schnickens' greatest hits compliation album was released. By that time, it seemed as if Fu-Schnickens faded into obscurity.
Today, Chip Fu is a solo artist and now goes under the name "Jungle Rock Jr." He continues to be active in the music business. It is unknown what Poc Fu and Moc Fu are up to today.
To see Chip Fu's official website, go to:
http://www.chip-fu.com/To see the music video for "Ring the Alarm," go to:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M60tICT4NAYTo see the music video for "La Schmoove," go to:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7XF_aZvcb-cTo see the music video for "True Fuschnick," go to:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GeTFKOsQ0TwTo see the music video for "What's Up Doc? (Can We Rock?)," go to:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDDGx9sJhZoTo see the music video for "Breakdown," go to:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWwveAGRYcc
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