Wee Papa Girl Rappers

Wee Papa Girl Rappers
OriginLondon, England
GenresHip hop, reggae, hip house
InstrumentVocals
Years active1987–1994
LabelsJive Records
Past membersSandra Lawrence
Samantha Lawrence

Wee Papa Girl Rappers were a British female rap duo, that found chart success in the late 1980s. They were sisters Sandra (the elder of the two, aka Total S) and Samantha Lawrence (aka TY Tim).[1][2]

Before being signed to Jive Records, the two sisters were backing singers for Feargal Sharkey. As the Wee Papa Girl Rappers, they started to appear on the BBC Radio London rap show, hosted by Dave Pearce. Their first record, "Heat it Up" featuring 2 Men and a Drum Machine, reached number 21 on the UK Singles Chart in June 1988. The Wee Papa Girls Rappers are best remembered for the single "Wee Rule" – more inspired by reggae and dancehall than hip hop – which reached number 6 on the UK Singles Chart in October 1988.[2][3]

They released two albums on Jive, The Beat, the Rhyme, the Noise in 1988, and Be Aware in 1990 (the latter featuring the club hit Get In The Groove). They released two further singles in 1992 and 1994, as the Wee Papas.[2]

The duo got their name "Wee Papa" from the Saint Lucia French Creole expression "Oui Papa", which their father (originating from the Caribbean Island), frequently uttered.[2]

Samantha Lawrence died on 1 December 2024, aged 55.[4]

Discography

Studio albums

List of studio albums, with selected chart positions
Title Album details Peak chart positions
UK

[5]

NZ
[5]
The Beat, the Rhyme, the Noise 39 39
Be Aware
  • Released: 1990
  • Label: Profile
  • Formats: CD, LP, Cassette
 — —
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Singles

Year Single Peak positions Album
UK
[5] 		IRE NED BEL
(FLA) 		GER
[6] 		AUT SWI SWE NZ
1987 "Rock the Clock" — — — — — — — — — Single only
1988 "Faith" 60 — 11 14 — — — — — The Beat, the Rhyme, the Noise
"Heat It Up" (featuring 2 Men and a Drum Machine) 21 — 15 28 — — — — —
"Wee Rule" 6 4 2 1 10 12 4 13 17
"Soulmate" 45 — 25 30 — — — — —
1989 "Blow the House Down" 65 — — — — — — — —
1990 "Get in the Groove" — — 27 — — — 24 — — Be Aware
"The Bump" — — — — — — — — —
1991 "Best of My Love" — — — — — — — — —
1992 "Wee Are the Girls" (as The Wee Papas) — — — — — — — — — Singles only
1994 "Wherever You Go" (as The Wee Papas) — — — — — — — — —
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released.

References

  1. ^ "Wee Papa Girl Rappers Songs, Albums, Reviews, ... - AllMusic". AllMusic.
  2. ^ a b c d Colin Larkin, ed. (1998). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Dance Music (First ed.). Virgin Books. p. 364. ISBN 0-7535-0252-6.
  3. ^ Tom Bishop. "How Wee Papa Girl Rappers ruled UK hip-hop for a short but sweet time". Hitsingles.com.
  4. ^ "Samantha Lawrence of '80s UK hip-hop duo Wee Papa Girl Rappers dies aged 55". DJ Mag. 5 December 2024.
  5. ^ a b c "WEE PAPA GIRL RAPPERS songs and albums - full Official Chart history". Official Charts Company.
  6. ^ "Wee Papa Girl Rappers – German Chart". Charts.de. Retrieved 3 April 2014.[dead link‍]