Audio Two

Audio Two
Gizmo and Milk Dee
Gizmo and Milk Dee
Background information
OriginBrooklyn, New York City, U.S.
GenresHip hop
Years active1985–1992
Labels
MembersKirk "Milk Dee" Robinson
Nat "Gizmo" Robinson

Audio Two was the Brooklyn, New York hip hop duo of emcee Kirk "Milk Dee" Robinson and DJ Nat "Gizmo" Robinson, best known for their first hit "Top Billin'".[1]

History

Audio Two's trademark song "Top Billin'" launched the duo to popularity.

The duo's debut single, "Make it Funky", was released in 1987, but it was the B-side, "Top Billin'", that became the chart hit. The beat — made by Milk Dee and produced by Daddy-O of Stetsasonic[2] — and Milk Dee's lyrics would be sampled and referenced time and time again, even by the group itself: both the group's full-length debut, 1988's What More Can I Say? and its 1990 follow-up, I Don't Care: The Album, were titled after lines from the song.[1] However, the duo would never recapture its initial success. The singles of its second album, "I Get the Papers" and "On the Road Again," were only moderate hits. It was a time of rapid change in the hip hop market; gangsta rap was rising in popularity, and Audio Two found itself unsuccessfully struggling to maintain recording contracts and a fanbase.

Audio Two did, however, pave the way for the duo's labelmate MC Lyte, who launched her career with the hit single I Cram to Understand U (Sam). Lyte's 1998 album Seven & Seven featured a remake of "Top Billin'" — with the original instrumental — this time a duet between her and Milk. It has been a widely circulated rumor that both members of Audio Two were brothers of MC Lyte; however, this is untrue.[3] In 1994, Milk released a solo EP titled Never Dated on Rick Rubin's American Recordings. While the EP was notable for its single "Spam," a duet with the Beastie Boys' Adrock with drum programming by Mike D, aside from the devoted Beastie Boys fanbase the album generated little interest. Milk eventually rediscovered success by producing the singer Eamon, who recorded the 2004 hit "Fuck It (I Don't Want You Back)."

In 2007, Milk Dee recorded a verse for a remix of "I Get Money" by 50 Cent, thanking all the music artists that sampled "Top Billin'," which earned him royalties.

In recent years, Audio Two member Gizmo became a recording engineer under the name "You Can Ask" Giz. His audio work has appeared on albums by Donell Jones, Calvin Richardson, Jaheim and Tyrese, among others.[4]

Discography

Studio albums

List of studio albums, with selected chart positions
Title Album details Peak chart positions
US
[5] 		US
R&B
/HH
[6]
What More Can I Say? 185 45
I Don't Care: The Album
  • Released: April 17, 1990
  • Label: First Priority/Atlantic
  • Formats: CD, LP, Cassette
 — 74
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Unreleased albums

  • The First Dead Indian (1992)[7]

EPs

List of extended plays
Title Details Track listings
Flip-Flop Mini-Album
(with The Alliance)[a]
  • Released: 1986[8]
  • Label: First Priority
  • Formats: LP
Track listing
  1. "I Like Cherries"
  2. "Chillin'"
  3. "The Freshest Slowest Jam"
  4. "Where's The Fellas"
  5. "We Got The Beat Part II (Rough, Rough)"
  6. "Why Oh Girl"

Singles

As lead artist

List of singles, showing year released and album name
Title Year Peak chart positions Album
US
Rap
[9]
"A Christmas Rhyme"[10] 1985 — Non-album single
"Make it Funky"[11] 1987 — What More Can I Say?
"Top Billin'" —
"Hickeys Around My Neck"[12] 1988 —
"Many Styles/The Questions"[13] —
"I Don't Care"[14] —
"On The Road Again/Interlude One" 1990 16 I Don't Care: The Album
"I Get the Papers"[15] —
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Notes

  1. ^ "Published as "The Audio Two".

References

  1. ^ a b Colin Larkin, ed. (1998). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Dance Music (First ed.). Virgin Books. p. 20. ISBN 0-7535-0252-6.
  2. ^ Interview with Milk Dee at AllHipHop.com
  3. ^ "MC Lyte". Halftimeonline.net. January 14, 2013. Retrieved December 23, 2019.
  4. ^ ""You Can Ask" Giz". Credits. allmusic.com. Retrieved September 2, 2013.
  5. ^ "Audio Two Chart History". Billboard 200. Archived from the original on January 30, 2020. Retrieved October 19, 2021.
  6. ^ "Audio Two Chart History". Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. Archived from the original on January 30, 2020. Retrieved October 19, 2021.
  7. ^ "Audio Two – The First Dead Indian". AllMusic. TiVo Corporation. Retrieved October 18, 2021.
  8. ^ Flip-Flop Mini-Album (track listing). The Audio Two/The Alliance. First Priority Music. 1986. PR 2935.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  9. ^ "Audio Two – US Hot Rap Songs". billboard.com. Archived from the original on February 4, 2020. Retrieved October 22, 2021.
  10. ^ A Christmas Rhyme/Audio Two's Jam (track listing). Audio Two. MCM Records. 1985. MCM-1203.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  11. ^ Make It Funky/Top Billin' (track listing). Audio Two. First Priority Music. 1987. FPM 2938.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  12. ^ Act Like You Know (track listing). MC Lyte. First Priority/Atlantic Street. 1991. PR 4822.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  13. ^ Act Like You Know (track listing). MC Lyte. First Priority/Atlantic Street. 1991. PR 4822.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  14. ^ Have U Ever (Sharam Jey Mix) (track listing). MC Lyte. EastWest. 1997. PM 1702.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  15. ^ Act Like You Know (track listing). MC Lyte. First Priority/Atlantic Street. 1991. PR 4822.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)