#115 De La Soul (+ Gorillaz bonus)

De La Soul leaps into the 1991 MusiCards set here at #115. Pro Set got a lot of mileage out of this photo, using it on all 4 cards they put out featuring the group. There's a version of this card in the UK edition, and they've got a pair of cards in the Yo! MTV Raps set, with this "jumping" photo appearing on the front of one of them and on the back of the other. This is the only card of the 4 that correctly spells "Posdnuos" (Sound Sop / Sounds Op backwards) on the back.

Their debut 3 Feet High and Rising brought a "hippy" vibe to hip-hop and spawned the singles "Me Myself and I", "The Magic Number", and "Eye Know". Subsequent albums dialed back the silliness and psychedelia and didn't see as much mainstream success, but continued to build their legacy as an important group in hip hop history.

De La Soul - "Me, Myself and I

They've kept at it over the years, with notable highlights including a performance on Chappelle's Show and a Grammy-winning collaboration with Gorillaz on the track "Feel Good Inc." The group sadly went from trio to duo in 2023 when Trugoy the Dove passed away after some years dealing with heart issues. He posthumously appears on De La Soul's ninth studio album, Cabin in the Sky (2025).

I'm a casual De La Soul fan, but can't say I've listened to a ton of their stuff. My buddy Doug had 3 Feet High and Rising on CD back in the early 90s, and I remember borrowing that from him. The hits from that album are still "fun hip hop playlist" favorites of mine, and I've liked the other stuff I've heard from them even if it doesn't stick with me as much as those early jams. 

 "Itzsoweezee (HOT)" is a pretty cool track I wasn't familiar with until working on this post.

CUSTOM CORNER

I'd been kicking around a few options to pair up with De La Soul in this post, ultimately deciding on their collaborators Gorillaz.

The short version of the Gorillaz story is they're a virtual band (consisting of animated members) who formed in the late 90s. Behind the scenes, Jamie Hewlett handles the artwork while the music comes from the mind of Damon Albarn, best known as the singer of seminal Brit-pop band Blur, using the project to explore genres outside his other band's musical scope.

Gorillaz - "Feel Good Inc."

They've done a lot over the years, and I'll point you to their Wikipedia entry for further reading. My favorite track is probably the peaceful "On Melancholy Hill". The ninth studio album from Gorillaz, The Mountain, is due out at the end of February 2026.

Per usual, I'm curious if you readers are into De La Soul and/or Gorillaz. Feel free to sound off in the comments re: any thoughts, memories, or favorite songs for either. Thanks!

#114 BulletBoys (+ Warrant bonus)

Oh boy, of the many sloppy screw-ups in the 1991 MusiCards set, perhaps the most egregious is here at #114.

Sure, if you pulled this BulletBoys card from a pack, you wouldn't give it a second thought. But the nuttiness comes from its place in the checklist. We're still in the thick of the Hip Hop subset, with the Rock grouping not starting until #147. Yet somehow these long-haired rockers snuck in early at #114, with the alternate colors of the design sticking out like a sore thumb for anyone who takes the time to collate a set of MusiCards. 

The BulletBoys have another card coming later in the second series, there properly ordered with the other rockers, alphabetically after Britny Fox. So yeah, thanks to a mistake by whoever was in charge of putting the checklist in order, we're essentially getting a sneak preview of the "Rock" cards that are coming up later in the set. We'll return to more of the purple/green design next card.

As for this photo, it looks to me like Julie Kavner, Zack Morris, Alex Rodriguez (in a wig, after a high-and-tight brushback pitch), and some out of place lady who was just looking for the bathroom and happened to be in frame when the picture was taken. "Excuse me young man, is this the way to the restroom?"

Gotta admit the BulletBoys aren't a band I'm familiar with outside the context of this trading card set. I'm not above cranking up some glam rock / hair metal from time to time, but they're a little too obscure for me, I guess. So I'll go give a listen to some of their stuff now. [Gavin goes and listens to some of their stuff.]

BulletBoys - "Smooth up in Ya"

Their most popular song is "Smooth up in Ya", which sounds right out of the KISS playbook. Then there's (You Get Me) "Hard as a Rock" that seems like it's a parody of metal innuendo songs of the era. "For the Love of Money" is a cover of that old "Money, money, money, money.. MONEY!" song, originally by the O'Jays, sounding like a mashup of that song with an unrelated metal song. "Hell on My Heels" confirms they've got more balls than many of their contemporaries, dropping an F-bomb to kick it off. Those tracks are all from their self-titled 1988 debut. It reached No. 34 on the Billboard 200 and was certified gold in 1989.

Of course, Nevermind was around the corner, and it was downhill from there as far as record sales, though 1991's sophomore release Freakshow made it up to No. 69 (nice) on the strength of an out-of-left-field cover of the Tom Waits song "Hang On St. Christopher".

BulletBoys - "Hang On St. Christopher"

I was kinda shocked to learn BulletBoys are still around, putting out new music every few years since forming-- though only frontman Marq Torien was left from the original lineup for many years. But as of last Wikipedia entry update, looks like all 4 original dudes on their MusiCard are currently back in the band. That's pretty cool. Keep on rockin', fellas!

CUSTOM CORNER

It's funny that lesser late 80s rock bands of the era like BulletBoys and Britny Fox got MusiCards while many better-known acts were left out. I'm thinking about the likes of Bon Jovi, Mötley Crüe, Poison, Winger, Cinderella, Warrant.. all missing. One would assume they were on Pro Set's initial wishlist, but they couldn't secure licensing. Could be the label, management, or band members themselves either wanted more money for the rights, or just thought putting out trading cards wouldn't jive with their marketing plan or whatever. (Licensing a huge act like Van Halen, for instance, would likely be expensive.) Perhaps some acts already had exclusive trading card deals with the competing product 1991 Brockum Rock Cards. Or maybe Pro Set's team simply dropped the ball going after certain acts that "today's kids" would want? In light of all the set's many flubs, such incompetence wouldn't be a surprise, right?

Anyways, my favorite Warrant song happens to be "Down Boys" and so that's enough connection to pair those boys with these Boys. There's even a part in the Bulletboys song "Smooth Up in Ya" with a big "Gooo!" moment (2:21) that's very similar to the ending of "Down Boys".

There's a custom I whipped up. I think this is another lady who was just walking by looking for the bathroom, but the band swooped her up. lol. Ok, now I have to write a little about Warrant, I suppose.

Warrant - "Heaven"

 

Warrant formed in Los Angeles in the mid 80s and put out their debut album Dirty Rotten Filthy Stinking Rich in early '89. That album did well thanks to the hit "Heaven" (Isn't Too Far Away), with another power ballad, "Sometimes She Cries", also cracking the Top 20. Cherry Pie followed in 1990, selling a bunch thanks to the catchy title track. 1992's Dog Eat Dog was well-received by critics and the fan base, but didn't find success on the charts anywhere near their first couple records.

The band continued on, though have had many lineup changes over the years, paramount among them being frontman Jani Lane splitting with the band, ultimately drinking himself to death in 2011. Now with former Lynch Mob lead singer Robert Mason on vocals, Warrant is still at it, playing live on the Let the Good Times Rock Tour and the like. Their most recent studio album is 2017's Louder Harder Faster.

Warrant - "Down Boys"

As for me, like I say, "Down Boys" is my favorite song of theirs (though I later realized it's pretty much an homage to The Cars' song "Bye Bye Love", with a little BulletBoys thrown in). "Uncle Tom's Cabin" is another good one from them. And though I'm generally not much for power ballads, "Heaven" is one I can stomach (though I remember getting pretty sick of it when it was all over MTV for a while). Along those lines, "Cherry Pie" is fine once in a blue moon. But yeah, those 4 songs are about the total Warrant footprint for me personally.

How about you readers? Any of you listen to much BulletBoys or Warrant? Let me know in the comments, and thanks for following along here another year.

#113 Boogie Down Productions (+ Sublime bonus)

 
Here's a shot of KRS-One, the driving force behind the hip-hop group Boogie Down Productions, at card #113 in the '91 MusiCards set. This card has a reverse counterpart in the Yo! MTV Raps set that swaps the front and back photos (card #10). That set also features a second BDP card (#11) as well as a solo-credited KRS-One card (#43), but this here is his only appearance in the Super Stars set.

Boogie Down Productions would cease production not long after this card came out, with KRS-One ditching the group dynamic to continue as a solo artist in the early 90s. He's had impressive career, long considered a highly-respected pioneer in hip hop.

KRS-One - Step Into A World (Rapture's Delight)

The only KRS-One to be found in my CD/cassette collection growing up was R.E.M.'s Out of Time where he dropped in on the opening track "Radio Song", but I've always liked what I've heard from him, and eventually scored a greatest hits album during the mp3 era. Dug jam after jam of his I checked out while prepping this post, hand to God!

KRS-One has kept active over the years, consistently releasing new music and collaborating with other artists.

CUSTOM CORNER

Ok, I suppose in addition to the R.E.M. appearance, KRS-One found his way into my speakers several times over the years thanks to being sampled in the Sublime tribute song "KRS-One". Sure, let's whip up a Sublime custom.

That self-titled Sublime album was huge. As a teenager in Southern California in the mid 90s, that was a must-have CD, right there with Dr. Dre's The Chronic a little earlier. Everyone in my grade had 'em in rotation, without exception! They were already on my radar, as I remember liking their early minor hit "Date Rape", so it was a trip when they got huge a year or two later. Sadly, the band's mastermind Bradley Nowell died of a heroin overdose just before that album came out, adding some emotional weight to tracks like "What I Got" and "Santeria". 

Sublime - "What I Got"

Such a bummer, leaving a baby behind. Another cautionary tale in regards to abusing drugs and alcohol. As a fan, it would have been cool to hear what Bradley followed that album up with. 

The other guys in the trio-- Eric Wilson (bass) and Bud Gaugh (drums)-- eventually revived the band with a soundalike fan named Rome filling in, reluctantly lengthening the band name to Sublime With Rome after legal threats from Bradley's widow. They had a nice run of playing music festivals, but eventually they split with Rome, and a couple years ago, Bradley's now-adult son Jakob stepped in, taking Sublime full circle to again being a Nowell-fronted band.

Here in 2025 it seems classic Sublime has either been run into the ground or not aged that well, and the post-Bradley material doesn't quite hit the same as the OG version. Or maybe that's just me? But yeah, some fun tunes there, no doubt!

How about you readers? Listen to much KRS-One and/or Sublime? Favorites? Memories? Let me know in the comments. Thanks!

#112 Biz Markie (+ Markie Post bonus)

Just in time for Halloween, we've made it to what's likely the most fun card of the 1991 MusiCards set: #112 Biz Markie. All dressed up like a scientist, looks like he's having a blast with those beakers and whatnot. Even if you managed to make it this far in life without hearing "Just a Friend", you can tell right away this guy doesn't take himself too seriously.

Biz also shows up in the Yo! MTV Raps set, with ProSet just swapping the front and back photos there. With a similar crimson backdrop, I'm guessing both photos were from the same playful publicity shoot.

Ha, that write-up is something else. For a more legit bio, here's his Wikipedia entry. The condensed version is Marcel Hall was born in 1964 and grew up on Long Island. His beatboxing helped him make a name for himself in the mid 80s before scoring a mainstream hit in late '89 with a track borrowing from an old song called "(You) Got What I Need" by Freddie Scott.

Biz Markie - "Just a Friend"

"Just a Friend" reached No. 9 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, and has endured as a touchstone for that era of hip-hop. I remember another cut of his, "Vapors", getting some late night MTV play around that time, and also know him from occasionally turning up in Beastie Boys recordings over the years.

Biz kept performing through the 90s, aughts, and twenty-teens, also growing his pop culture footprint by becoming somewhat of a TV personality and doing voice-acting guest spots for cartoons such as SpongeBob and Adventure Time. Complications from type 2 diabetes unfortunately took Biz from us at the too-young age of 57 in 2021.

CUSTOM CORNER

Hmm.. What would be a fitting bonus custom to add to this Biz Markie post? 

Looks like an answer is within the question! Haha, sure, let's whip up a Markie Post custom.

And yeah, Biz is pronounced "Mar-KEY" while Mz. Post is called "Marky", but just roll with it.

I watched Night Court when I was a kid and loved her on that show. I think she might've even been my first celebrity crush. Her 80s fashion/hair from that time might not've held up great, but still.

In fact, I had to go ahead and make a sexy image variation. This intriguing screenshot is taken from a 1979 episode of Hart To Hart where she plays a prostitute. Yowza

Sadly, Markie passed away from cancer at age 70 in 2021 (just 3 weeks after Biz's passing) but leaves a long list of credits to remember her by, with other highlights of her career including co-starring on the shows The Fall Guy (1982-1985) and later Hearts Afire (1992-1995). I didn't catch either of those shows, but enjoyed seeing her pop up as the mom of Dr. Elliot Reid on Scrubs, and Mary's mom in There's Something About Mary. There's also a great Night Court mini-reunion in a 2008 episode of 30 Rock, an all-time favorite show of mine.

Happy Halloween, guys. Thanks for reading my big "Markie" post and please feel free to comment below with your thoughts regarding either of the Markies covered here.

#111 Big Daddy Kane (+ Sade bonus)

Here's Big Daddy Kane looking dapper in a purple suit at card number 111 in the '91 MusiCards set. It's his only card this checklist, though he has four cards in the Yo! MTV Raps set. This photo is used on card #6 there, while the back photo below shows up on the front of Yo! card #5.

I know he's a highly-respected old school rapper, but I'm not very familiar with the work of Big Daddy Kane. I was thinking maybe he did the "Wild Wild West" song, but no, that's Kool Moe Dee. I tend to get those three-name rappers mixed up as that genre isn't quite my wheelhouse. Hey, as a dorky white kid from Southern California, I might not've been in the target demographic.

Big Daddy Kane - "Ain't No Half-Steppin'

Turns out Big Daddy Kane's biggest hit is "Ain't No Half-Steppin'". Gotta admit it's not familiar to me listening now as I draft this post, but I dig it. Another popular track of his is "Smooth Operator".

Big Daddy Kane - "Smooth Operator"

Biz Markie, mentioned on the back, is coincidentally the next MusiCard coming up. Big Daddy Kane has kept rapping over the years, with his latest single dropping back in 2020, and he acts occasionally. For more info, here's the link to his Wikipedia entry.

Since I don't have a ton to say about Big Daddy Kane, let's tack on a custom to this post.

CUSTOM CORNER

Like the "poisonous" previous post, I'm using a same-title/different-song to link mismatched artists for the heck of it.

Yep, Sade also found success with a track titled "Smooth Operator".

Sade - "Smooth Operator"

Sade's "Smooth Operator" came out a few years earlier, and Big Daddy Kane's track is unrelated (doesn't sample or reference the Sade song). It gets confusing talking about Sade (pronounced something like "sha-DAY") because that's the name of both the band and their lead singer.

The band Sade is still active since forming in London, 1982. I've never dug too deeply into Sade's catalog, but everything I've heard is enjoyable enough. Seems like good "chill out" music. Other standouts for me are "The Sweetest Taboo" and "No Ordinary Love".

Sade - "Paradise"

But "Paradise" might be my favorite tune from Sade.

I went ahead and whipped up a bonus variation.. or maybe they exist side-by-side in this virtual "series 3" checklist, with the earlier card being Sade (the singer) and this one Sade (the band).

How about you readers? Are you into Big Daddy Kane and/or Sade? Let me know your faves in the comments if you wanna.

#109-110 Bell Biv DeVoe (+ Alice Cooper bonus)

Bell Biv DeVoe got a pair of cards here in series 1 of 1991 MusiCards, and this card has a doppelganger in the UK edition. Also worth noting this is the first act we've come to in the set that also appears in the companion product line from Pro Set: 1991 Yo! MTV Raps. The guys of BBD lead off that set (alphabetical checklist) with 4 cards despite the group being more known for their signing. One of the Yo! cards (#3) features a tighter crop of the front photo of this card. Can you identify who they're reppin' with their threads here? I spot a USC Trojans shirt. Looks like it might be a Giants or Padres cap on the right.

The back photo here gets its chance to shine as a front photo in the Yo! set (card #4).

Bell Biv DeVoe - "Poison"

"Poison" has cemented itself as an evergreen 90s reference, often showing up in movies and TV shows. I don't really know much else from them other than the naughty follow-up "Do Me" and their association with Boyz II Men. Worth mentioning that Boyz II Men don't have a MusiCard, perhaps surprisingly, with their debut Cooleyhighharmony dropping April 30, 1991, missing the cutoff for checklist consideration. You gotta assume if Pro Set greenlit a second year of MusiCards, Boyz II Men would have had a large footprint in that theoretical sophomore set.

The front picture of card #110 here was also used as the back photo of Yo! card #1, and the crouching shot on the back is also the front of Yo! card #2.

Ha, the write up on card #110 seems to be a paraphrased version of #109, both insinuating that the group had been unable to make the kind of music they had been yearning to make for an extended period of time, until finally rectifying that creative disconnect on their debut record, Poison.

Key information that could have been provided is that these young men had previously been a part of the group New Edition. I was confused back at card #85 New Edition thinking they were a rare act on the checklist to get a MusiCard despite not being an active entity (outside of the Legends/Concerts subsets). But yeah, like Brett Alan suggested in the comments of that post, turns out New Edition never officially broke up, they just sort of drifted into a hiatus in the early 90s as they found success with their endeavors outside the flagship group.

Bell Biv DeVoe has likewise never really split, but they haven't been making much new music either. The guys keep busy with New Edition reunions, and "Poison" seems to be a staple at those concerts.

'Poison' | Legacy Tour | St Louis 2023

CUSTOM CORNER

So I had all that above drafted up ready to go in early August, but things got hectic at the end of the month and I forgot and broke my streak of monthly MusiCard posts.. Dang. I'll try to double up at some point to still hit 12 posts on the year.

I guess part of the delay was that I was having trouble deciding on a custom corner act to pair with Bell Biv DeVoe. Boyz II Men would be an obvious choice, but I think I'll table them for another time. I also considered another artist with the initials "BBD", that being a modern band I like called Big Black Delta (which I'd ballpark compare to a cheekier Nine Inch Nails). But ultimately I think the common thread of a hit song titled "Poison" being released around the same time was enough to mock up a well-deserved MusiCard for Alice Cooper.

Alice Cooper's "Poison" came out in July '89, so he beat Bell Biv DeVoe to the punch, as their "Poison" didn't come out till the following March. Funny enough, a similar thing happened a couple years later when a bunch of songs titled "Creep" became popular around the same time (TLC, Radiohead, Stone Temple Pilots).

 

Alice Cooper - "Poison"

 

But yeah, this "Poison" went to #7 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and #2 in the UK. "School's Out" and "No More Mr. Nice Guy" are among his other best-remembered tracks today. Instead of getting into much of a bio here, I'll link to Alice Cooper's Wikipedia entry for further reading.

 

As an aside, if Wikipedia ever goes away, like say due to an authoritarian government working to shut it down or at least control the information given, this blog is going to be worse for it. That and YouTube, of course. Like, I'm hopeful this blog will be readable to time-killing MusiCard collectors for years into the future, with the links and videos still hopefully working for the most part. I recently got a nice email from a lady who found my blog while looking up something while putting together series 1 from packs, so that made me happy. She said it took 3 boxes to make a set and that none of the contest scratch-offs were winners. lol

Anyways, thanks a bunch for reading and please feel free to leave your thoughts on Bell Biv DeVoe and/or Alice Cooper in the comments below.

#107-108 Al B. Sure! (+ "Weird Al" Yankovic bonus)

With card #107, the 1991 MusiCards set transitions into its "rap and R&B" subset. We leave the "pop" section and its lime green tops and hot pink bottoms for this new color combo of (darker) green and blue. This part of the checklist is relatively short at just 40 cards-- with a healthy percentage of those belonging to MC Hammer and Vanilla Ice-- then it's nothing but "rock" (and classic rock concert posters) to close out the first series before cycling through the genre subsets again in series 2.

Al B. Sure! is the stage name of Albert Joseph Brown III, and yeah, the exclamation point is part of it, which can make it awkward to write about the guy, lol. He's got a pair of cards in this set for us to check out today, plus a "Series 2 exclusive" variation to round things out.

That's pretty impressive that he got to work with the great Quincy Jones as a young artist just starting out. I don't recall hearing "Secret Garden" back in the day and it doesn't do much for me listening today, but I've always liked Al's early hit (I Can Tell You How I Feel About You) "Nite and Day".

Al B. Sure! - "Nite and Day"

Here's the next card, a shot of Mr. Sure! taking off his jacket.

His specialty of the "sexy slow jam" genre isn't really in my wheelhouse, but I can dig his more upbeat tunes. "Off on Your Own (Girl)" is another solid track from his debut album.

 

Turns out I've listened to Al B. Sure! many times without even realizing it, as I've owned the David Bowie album Black Tie White Noise since its release year of 1993 and hadn't put together (or forgot) that Al B. was the other featured vocalist on the title track.

David Bowie (feat. Al B. Sure!) - "Black Tie White Noise"

 Bowie's lone MusiCard is in the UK edition, by the way.

  

Yep, there's a variation of card #108.

 

The Super Stars logo bounces down to the opposite corner. I don't think photo composition issues were the catalyst for the variation this time, so let's check out the back and see if we can figure out why Pro Set was compelled to tweak this card and put out a revised version in series 2.

Ok, did you catch it? The original series 1 card has a typo in the name of the second album. 

Error: Private Times...and the Whole 91
Corrected: Private Times...and the Whole 9!

There's an exclamation mark causing trouble again. You'll also notice a new copyright under the back photo. Andre Harrell seems to have been the head of the label that signed Al. I wonder if Andre was the guy who called up his Pro Set contact person and chewed him out over the "Whole 91" screw up.

Al B. Sure!'s latest album is 2009's Honey I'm Home, and he's since spent time hosting a nationally syndicated radio show called Love and R&B. He's dealt with serious health problems in recent years, including a coma and a liver transplant. Let's hope he's recovering well. Here's the link to his Wikipedia entry for further reading. His entry currently makes no mention of Karyn White (seen on the blog recently at card #104), though her entry does still list Al B. Sure! as her life partner since 2012. For the sake of 1991 MusiCards romantic mojo, I hope they're still together.

CUSTOM CORNER

When you think of popular Al's in the music industry, especially those with punctuation in their stage names, there's another guy who might also come to mind. Yeah, let's go ahead and make a custom for "Weird Al" Yankovic.

This would have been a fun card to pull out of a pack in 1991. Weird Al definitely could've gotten a MusiCard based on his popularity at the time, but it didn't shake out that way, likely due to licensing issues. I like how he seems to be attempting to contort into the design here.

I even whipped up a back for this one.  

As a kid, I had a loose tape (no cover) of the first Weird Al album that got passed on to me by a friend, and I later bought UHF on cassette not long after that came out. I loved that dumb movie and even saw it on the big screen. 

Weird Al - Money For Nothing/Beverly Hillbillies

I think those are the only Weird Al albums I had back in the pre-mp3 days, so I wasn't exactly a superfan or anything, but I generally got a kick out of his stuff and liked seeing him pop up on MTV or wherever. His ridiculous pseudo-biopic from 2022 starring Daniel Radcliffe is pretty great too.

Here's an "update" variation using a more recent photo. He's been consistently doing his thing for decades, putting out music and playing live. Keep on being weird, Al!

That'll do it for this time. Thanks for reading and just let me know in the comments if you've got anything to say about either Al featured in this post, such as your favorite songs or notable memories you've got.