Jam on Revenge is now regarded as a classic, not only because of the well-known singles, but also because of album cuts such as "Destination Earth." Neither Newcleus album, Jam on Revenge or Space Is the Place, sold well. The Cenacs and the Craftons continued to record until 1989. "Computer Age (Push the Button)" reached the R&B Top 40. The follow-up, "Jam on It," did well on the Billboard Hot 100, reaching No. The group eventually signed with Sunnyview Records, which was later acquired by Rhino Records in the 1990s. Retitled as "Jam On Revenge (The Wikki-Wikki Song)", the track reached the Top 40 on the US R&B chart. The track impressed record producer Joe Webb, and it became the group's first single in 1983 on Mayhew Records. Newcleus recorded "Jam-On Revenge," a block-party favorite featuring vocals that were sped up. The coming together of families inspired the name change to Newcleus. By 1979, the primary group's members were Cenac, Yvette "Lady E" Cook (who would later marry Cozmo D), Monique Angevin, and Bob "Chilly B" Crafton (who would later marry Angevin). The group's popularity grew as it played block parties in Brooklyn. Ī precursor to the group, known as Jam-On Productions, was formed in 1977 in Brooklyn, New York City, and included teenagers Ben "Cozmo D" Cenac and his cousins Monique and Pierre "Pete" Angevin.
The beat from their 1984-song "Automan" was adapted by euro-dance project " Snap!" for their 1992-release " Rhythm is a Dancer" which featured lyrics written and performed by American singer and songwriter Thea Austin as well as rap vocals by American rapper Turbo B and became a major international hit. Their appearance overlapped with the formative years of hip-hop DJing in the Bronx. The group was based in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York. Turned out it ended up being the track that drove everybody crazy! So, we went with it and changed our names to Newcleus." I used to play "Jam-On's Revenge" at our parties and it would fill the dance floor, so even though I had never planned to release it, when I was shopping Positive Messenger for a deal I put it on the tape just to fill out space at the end. I threw in an idea from an that actually had happened in the ’70s, when a DJ who we had just blown out in a battle said to me "Yeah, you guys are bad, but you can't do this… wikki wikki wikki wikki," meaning how we didn't scratch on the turntables.
Having come out of Hip-Hop street battles in Brooklyn in the ’70s, I didn't really think much of the Rap records that were playing on the radio, so I figured as a joke I would make a parody jam. So, one of our DJs, Salvador Smooth, kept nagging me to do a Rap song. However, we were still doing lots of Hip-Hop jams with our DJ crew Jam-On Productions. The group is primarily known for its 12-inch single "Jam-On's Revenge" (re-released as "Jam on Revenge (The Wikki-Wikki Song)" (1983)) and "Jam on It" (1984), which began as an anti-rap joke, according to founding member DJ and producer Ben Cenac.Īt the time (1981) we were going by the name Positive Messenger and were making music that had a purpose, either messages of love or faith or talking about the conditions of the world. Newcleus was an American electro and old school hip hop group that gained popularity in the early 1980s.