#118 EPMD (+ KMFDM bonus)

The Orlando Magic get a bit of free advertising here on EPMD's MusiCard. Must've been a fresh cap at the time this photo was taken. The NBA expansion team was established in 1989 and started winning over fans en masse after drafting Shaq in '92.

EPMD have 4 cards in the Yo! MTV Raps sister set, though this is the act's lone appearance in the Super Stars checklist. 

Don't let the Florida hat fool you, as the guys represent from Brentwood, New York. The duo formed in 1987, with name evolving from EEPMD ("Easy Erick and Parrish the Microphone Doctor") to EPMD ("Erick and Parrish Making Dollars"). They temporarily broke up a couple times in the 90s and made multiple respective solo albums, but have otherwise kept at it over the years, still teamed up today.

As hinted on the back of their card, they've got a quirk where all their album titles include the word "Business":
    Strictly Business (1988)
    Unfinished Business (1989)
    Business as Usual (1990)
    Business Never Personal (1992)
    Back in Business (1997)
    Out of Business (1999)
    We Mean Business (2008) 

Their '92 song "Crossover" did in fact crossover into the mainstream, becoming EPMD's highest chart success, hitting #42 on the Billboard Hot 100. Their top track on streaming these days, however, is "Da Joint" from 1997.

If you're interested in learning more about EPMD, here's a handy link to their Wikipedia entry for your convenience.

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I thought I'd be cheeky and pair up EPMD with KMFDM, essentially turning the post title into a Scrabble hand.

I've never listened to much KMFDM, honestly, and am mostly familiar with them due to the clunky name that commonly gets misinterpreted as a slag against the band Depeche Mode.

 

KMFDM - "Megalomaniac"

After a perusal of the group's wiki entry, I can tell you they formed in Germany in 1984, originally as a performance art project. The name stands for Kein Mehrheit Für Die Mitleid, loosely translated by the band as "No Sympathy for the Majority", though apparently they started the "Kill MFing Depeche Mode" thing while messing with journalists on their first US tour, later working it into lyrics of a song (2013's "Kunst"). 

I might describe the sound as in-your-face dance music, while they like to think of it as "The Ultra-Heavy Beat", and music critics often use terms like industrial, techno, and electro. I've listened to plenty of early Nine Inch Nails and some Ministry, but never really plunged all the way into stuff like Skinny Puppy and KMFDM. I've been checking out some tracks while working on this post and it's cool stuff, though not the kind of thing I'm likely to keep in regular rotation.

And they're still at it. The 23rd studio album from KMFDM, Enemy, came out just this past February 2026. 

How about you readers? R U into EPMD or KMFDM? LMK in the comments.

#117 En Vogue (+ TLC bonus)

En Vogue seem to be hanging out among the photo shoot equipment here on their lone MusiCard, as if the photographer just took a look around the room for props, or maybe wanted to go for a "behind the scenes" vibe.

Pro Set didn't bother coming up with a "Future Stars/Rated Rookie" type of subset designation for the set, but if they did, this card would likely be marked as such. En Vogue is among the few acts included that were still on the rise by 1991, not to mention went on to thrive throughout the decade.

When I think of En Vogue, I think of the songs "Free Your Mind", "My Lovin' (You're Never Gonna Get It)", and "Whatta Man" with Salt-N-Pepa (who show up in the UK edition of the set). I apparently avoided En Vogue's biggest hit, 1996's "Don't Let Go (Love)", as it doesn't really ring a bell with me today, but I guess I wasn't paying a lot of attention to pop music by late '96.

En Vogue - "Don't Let Go (Love)"

The lineup has swapped out a lady here and there over the years, but at last check (Wiki link), their official lineup is currently a trio consisting of the latter three names listed on the back of their MusiCard, with Dawn no longer being in the fold.

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When thinking about contemporaries of En Vogue to pair up with in a post, I came to the conclusion that a MusiCard-that-never-was should go to TLC.

TLC initially formed in 1990, but didn't release their debut album until February 1992, so they narrowly missed making the scene in time to get into the set.

Their big songs were "No Scrubs", "Waterfalls", and "Creep". They also did the theme to popular Nickelodeon sketch comedy show All That. 

The group's rapper Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes made headlines in 1994 when she sorta accidentally burned down the mansion she shared with NFL wide receiver Andre Rison. During a 2002 spiritual retreat in Honduras, she was tragically killed in a traffic accident. The group's other members, T-Boz and Chilli, have continued TLC as a duo, vowing to never replace Left Eye. The latest studio album from TLC is the self-titled release that came out in 2017, and they've toured a few times since. There's a big Wikipedia entry for further reading.

Thanks for stopping by and I'd love to hear in the comments if you've got any favorite songs or memories from En Vogue or TLC to share.

#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.

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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.

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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!