The Beatnuts are a hip hop crew from Queens, New York City. Members are Ju-Ju (Jerry Tineo), of Dominican descent, and Psycho Les (Lester Fernandez), of Colombian descent. The only Latino members of the Native Tongues Posse, they have had long-standing involvement with the crew's activities. Although only peripheral members, they are routinely acknowledged as valued by Q-Tip, who has shouted them out at least twice on record (once in 1991 and once in 1996.) Hip hop music is a style of popular music. ... Queens Borough in New York City, in yellow Queens, the most ethnically diverse county in the United States, is geographically the largest of the five boroughs of New York City. ... New York City, officially named the City of New York, is the most populous city in the United States, the most densely populated major city in North America, and is at the center of international finance, politics, entertainment, and culture. ... Latino refers to anything connected with Romance languages and the associated cultures and ethnicities. ... The Native Tongues Posse is a group of late 1980s and early 1990s Afro-American Hip-Hop artists known for their positive Afrocentric lyrics and jazzy beats. ... 1991 (MCMXCI) is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1996 (MCMXCVI) is a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ...

Early on in their career they produced whole albums for Posse members Common and Chi-Ali. Their production is noted as some of the finest and most accomplished, if unheralded, in all of hip-hop, often intricately detailed (as in their finely honed work for Mos Def on two tracks from Black on Both Sides) but more regularly barnstorming, club-friendly, flourish-laden party music. Jennifer Lopez used their track "Watch Out Now" as the instrumental for her song "Jenny from the Block". An album is a collection of related audio tracks, released together commercially in an audio format to the public. ... Common Common (aka Common Sense, born Lonnie Rashied Lynn in 1972) is a Chicago-based hip hop artist. ... Mos Def Mos Def (born Dante Terrell Smith on December 11, 1973) is a Brooklyn-born rapper and actor. ... Black on Both Sides is an alternative rap album by Mos Def, released on October 12, 1999 (see 1999 in music). ... Lopez on the cover of Jennifer Lopez (also known as J. Lo, born July 24, 1969) is a well-known American actress, Latin Pop and hip-hop singer, fashion designer, dancer and all-around cultural icon of Puerto Rican descent. ...

The Beatnuts are noted for being unabashedly, bullishly ribald and in-your-face performers. They speak in short sentences; pepper their lyrics with exaggerated braggadocio, threats of violence, and gay-baiting; and frequently portray a "ride or die" attitude toward living a thug's life. Recent Beatnuts albums are characterised by more Latin influences. The term homophobia is a portmanteau derived from the words homosexual and phobia. ... Latin American music, sometimes simply called Latin music, includes the music of many countries and comes in many varieties, from the simple, rural conjunto music of northern Mexico to the sophisticated habanera of Cuba, from the symphonies of Heitor Villa-Lobos to the simple and moving Andean flute. ...

Predilection toward collaborations

Collaborations with guest artists are a fixture of late-period Beatnuts albums. In particular, they have frequently acted in tandem with Masta Ace, who has aligned himself with them in light of his career resurgence, and Gregg Nice of Nice & Smooth, who has reignited his flagging career by playing the excitable hype man for both. Master (Masta) Ace is an African-American rapper from Brooklyn, New York. ... Nice & Smooth is a rap duo from New York, composed of Greg Nice (Greg Mays) and Smooth B (Daryl Barnes). ...

They are mainstays in the Latino hip-hop community, maintaining connections with Problems, Triple Seis, Tony Touch, Cuban Link, Prince Whipper Whip, Magic Juan of Proyecto Uno, and the late Big Pun. Triple Seis was a rapper of Dominican descent from The Bronx, New York, who was a former member of Fat Joes and the late Big Puns group the Terror Squad. ... Tony Touch, also known as Tony Toca, is a Puerto Rican hip hop DJ and producer from New York City. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... Prince Whipper Whip (born James Whipper) is a Puerto Rican rapper from the Bronx. ... Proyecto Uno is a dominican merengue/hip hop/reggaeton group from New York, composed of Nelson Zapata, Magic Juan, Johnny Salgado and Erik Boog. ... Big Pun. ...

Kool Fashion is the onetime third member of the group; he is now a devout Muslim pursuing a solo career under the name Al Tariq, and has collaborated with his former crew on occasion. A Muslim (Arabic: مسلم) is an adherent of Islam. ...

The Beatnuts have also worked with DJ Honda, Akon, Jurassic 5, Dead Prez, and Large Professor. Eminem has acknowledged them as an influence and invited them to to tour with him. Akon Akon (born Aliaune Thiam in Senegal in 1979) is an R&B singer who grew up in New Jersey. ... Jurassic 5 (l-r): Cut Chemist, Akil, Zaakir, Mark 7even, DJ Nu-Mark, Chali 2na Jurassic 5 is a six-piece hip hop crew that was formed in 1993 (see 1993 in music) at the Los Angeles, California venue Good Life. ... Dead Prez Dead Prez is the pair of largely-underground alternative rappers, Sticman and M-1. ... Large Professor (born March 21, 1972), is an African-American hip hop record producer. ... Eminem Eminem (born Marshall Bruce Mathers III on October 17, 1972 in Saint Joseph, Missouri, USA), is one of todays most controversial and popular rappers. ...

Discography

• 1993 Intoxicated Demons - The EP (Relativity/Violator)
• 1994 Street Level (Relativity/Violator)
• 1997 Stone Crazy (Relativity/Violator/Epic/Sony)
• 1997 Hydra Beats, Vol. 5
• 1998 Remix EP: The Spot (Relativity/Violator/Epic/Sony)
• 1999 A Musical Massacre (Loud/Sony)
• 2001 Take It or Squeeze It (Loud/Epic/Sony)
• 2002 Classic Nuts Vol. 1 (Loud/Epic/Sony)
• 2002 The Originators (Landspeed)
• 2004 Milk Me (Penalty)

External links

• Unofficial fan site
• Video & Interview
• Interview