#116 Digital Underground (+ Velvet Underground bonus)

Digital Underground have four cards in the Yo! MTV Raps set, but this is their lone appearance in the Super Stars set. With several members in the group, Pro Set struggled to get everyone in frame. This photo's card in the Yo! set (#18, TCDB link) reveals a couple faces on the left that get omitted here.

You can get a better look at this back photo of Humpty Hump on the front of Yo! card #15. 

When the topic of Digital Underground comes up, there are two pop culture bulletpoints to mention: that nutty hit of theirs "The Humpty Dance", plus the fact that Tupac Shakur got his start with the group.

But to back up, the group was led by Shock G (real name Greg Jacobs), who grew up on the East Coast, but had settled in the Bay Area by the time he began assembling the Digital Underground. He was a super creative guy who came up with multiple alter egos he'd perform as, plus he'd even do the artwork for their early releases. Inspired by George Clinton funk and wanting to differentiate from more militant hip-hop groups of the time like N.W.A. and Public Enemy, he guided Digital Underground to be more of a weird, fun group.

"The Humpty Dance" is a silly, sex-charged novelty song that was hard to avoid back in 1990 and still gets plenty of play in modern times, with its sing-along lyrics, funky beat, and simple catchy groove. The rapper Humpty Hump turned out to be an alter ego of Shock G in a Groucho mask, a revelation that blew my young mind.

Tupac Shakur hadn't joined the group in time to be included in the MusiCard photos, but entered the fold in 1991. Shock G was somewhat of a mentor to Shakur and helped on some of his early recordings. 2Pac rose to be one of the hottest rappers of the mid 90s before being gunned down in 1996.

Digital Underground continued to record and perform over the years, with Shock G honing his music production skills, even working with Prince for a bit, and often performing with George Clinton and P-Funk. Sadly, Greg Jacobs fell victim to America's opioid crisis, dying of an accidental overdose in 2021, taking his personas Shock G and Humpty Hump with him.

CUSTOM CORNER

I figured we'd jump genres but stay "underground" for an act to pair with. 

Velvet Underground formed in NYC during the mid 60s. They didn't have much success during their original run, with their avant-garde infused rock 'n roll and pointed lyrics being ahead of their time, but would go on to be hugely influential. 

Andy Warhol was their manager for a while, adding a German singer/model named Nico as a vocalist for their debut album The Velvet Underground & Nico (1967). Featuring artwork of a banana on the cover, it was a flop at the time, but has come to be considered among the most significant albums of its era. The band continued on for a few more years (after splitting with Warhol and Nico), though personality clashes saw the band dissolve in the early 70s.

Frontman Lou Reed went on to a prolific solo career, landing a hit with "Walk on the Wild Side" in '72. Velvet Underground briefly regrouped a few times in the 90s, with the last hurrah being a performance at their Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction in 1996. Here's a link to the VU Wikipedia entry for further reading.

Let me know in the comments if you've got thoughts to share regarding either Undergrounds covered in this post, and thanks for stopping by.

#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!