I don’t know what it is with you guys, but once the season changes from Winter to Spring and the sun starts shining more and more often I start listening to a different type of hip-hop. All of a sudden I just have a desperate need for records with a nice Summer vibe, you know, stuff like the first Ill Al Skratch LP, the previously reviewed “Swing Beat” 12” by Rock ‘N Gee & DJ Shawn, “Brown Sugar” off of Maestro Fresh-Wes’ excellent “Naaah, Dis Kid Can’t Be From Canada” LP, Rakim’s “New York To Cali” or the best one of them all, “Summertime” from DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince. Yeah, you’ve read it right. I don’t care how commercial or hip-pop that track is or how much everyone hates the fly Philly duo, “Summertime” in my opinion is the absolute best hip-hop Summer anthem ever, a 5-mic classic!!! There, I’ve said it and I will say it again and again if I have to…
During a recent digging trip I found a record by a group named 2 Too Many which perfectly fits into the ‘hip-hop for a nice Summer day’ category. When I played it at home and checked the liner notes on the back cover it didn’t really come as a surprise that it has the names of Jeffrey Allen Townes and Willard Christopher Smith Jr. written all over it. I hear you thinkin’ “Who the fuck is he talkin’ about?”. DJ Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince, you suckers! And yet again I hear you thinkin’ “What the fuck is wrong with Smoov? Discussing a DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince related record on our beloved Vinyl Addicts, has he gone insane?”. Well, who knows, but let’s discuss that another time.
After some online research I found out that 2 Too Many was a trio from West Philly which consisted of Jazz, L’il Troy and Ant Live. Basically their story was similar to that of a million and one other strugglin’ groups out there who are workin’ hard, tryin’ to make a name for themselves. Unlike a lot of those groups though they had their share of fortune when one day they bumped into Will Smith who was recording in the studio right next to their rehearsing room. When he saw the group perform later on he decided to sign them to WilJam Productions, Will’s production company through Jive which he ran with James “L.T.” Lassiter (the two of them are currently runnin’ another production company named Overbrook Entertainment (named after the Overbrook High School they attended together), a company responsible for blockbuster films like “Seven Pounds”, “Hancock”, “I Am Legend” and “I Robot”).
Well anyway, the group’s signing resulted in the release of two singles and a cd-only full length album titled “Chillin’ Like A Smut Villain”, all released through Jive/Zomba. The album… well, let’s say it’s okay, nothing special. The hip-hop joints are nice if you ask me, but the swingbeat- and the hip-house flavored tracks just don’t do it for me, regardless of the season. “Chumpie On The Flip Side” is the strongest cut on the album in my opinion, but unfortunately that never made it onto vinyl. One of the other nice tracks, “Where’s The Party?”, served as the album’s lead single and luckily did get pressed up on vinyl. I guess Will was aiming for commercial success, because he teamed the group up with Lamar Hula Malone and Craig Simpkens, also known as Hula & K. Fingers, the production duo behind DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince’s worldwide smash hit “Summertime”. But despite the fact that 2 Too Many had potential and this single had more than enough ingredients to blow up it just didn’t and I guess it just shows that even with a big name like Will Smith behind you success ain’t guaranteed.
Having said all that I can only say that this single is definitely worth checking out. Of course the ‘LP Mix’ produced by Hula & K. Fingers is featured, but for me the real treat is ‘Jazzy’s Smut Mix’ which you can guess was produced by Will’s longtime partner DJ Jazzy Jeff. If you can listen to either version without gettin’ in the mood to party something is seriously wrong with you. “Where’s the party? There’s a party over here!!!”
Just as I mentioned before there were two singles lifted off the album, but to my knowledge the second one titled “Imagination” was a promo-only release. Nothing to be sad about though, because that one was more on the R&B tip (the ‘Hip Hop Mix’ however (credited as the ‘Afrhythmix Remix’ on the cd) is a dope track though).
Nowadays at least two of the members of 2 Too Many are still active in the music business. Jazz changed his name to Jae Staxx and made a career as a music producer. Throughout the years he has worked wit artists like Ram Squad, Ms. Jade, 50 Cent, Eve, Patti LaBelle and of course Will Smith. L’il Troy (Troy Carter) worked for Puffy’s Bad Boy and also for Overbrook Entertainment and currently has his own management company called The Coalition which represents artists like Fat Joe, Eve and up-and-coming star Ya Boy. I have no idea what Ant Live’s doin’ these days, but if anyone knows feel free to visit the boards and enlighten us with some details. That’s it for now. Peace.
AUDIO:
2 Too Many - Chumpie On the Flipside
2 Too Many - Where's The Party? (LP Mix)
2 Too Many - Where's The Party? (Jazzy's Smut Mix)
REVIEWS 
