The early 90s were a time of transition. We were electing a new president, fashion was trying to cling to the style of the 80s but obviously evolving into a new sense of style, and music was changing as well. There was a new sound blasting the airwaves called hip hop. The sound was fresh and something anyone could move their body to. Hip hop started to even take over the clubs from the usual Billy Idol, Madonna, Cyndi Lauper and other famous names of the decade prior.
With hip hop hitting the airwaves, we noticed a trend- hip hop redefined the way songs were written in the 50s and 60s, when they created dance moves. Typical of the early rock sound came the “Twist,” “Mashed Potato,” “Hand Jive,” and more.” Hip hop brought on some dance moves, maybe not named anything like they did before, but the style was there and definitive to the song it was associated with. Some songs were lucky enough to have a dance move named after them such as “The Hammer,” but more commonly with hip hop, a fashion trend was named after it. MC Hammer had both a dance and fashion trend, but we also had Criss Cross, TLC’s patch, and others to name a few.
With all that hip hop brought to the table, Creo-D was about to bring in something extra special. He was in good company too, blasting the airwaves was Sir Mix-A-Lot’s “Baby Got Back,” “OPP,” “Hip Hop Horray,” and other songs that would define the 90s. They spoke of the booty that was popular back then.
The song started out innocently as we found out when we spoke to Creo-D. “ I was addicted to this tape from Tony! Toni! Tone!, and I listened to it hours at a time all day, all week. That song, that tape, inspired me to write a song. So one day sitting on my porch trying to come up with some lyrics, these two girls passed by the house. I stood up and said with a loud powerful voice “Come on baby, kick them dazzeys” because they had these shorts on, and they started laughing. I was like, that’s it.” Low and behold, the famous lines of Dazzey Duks was created.
In the studio, Duice had recorded the song by accident; they wanted to include it in the track basically to make ladies laugh when they heard it. What they didn’t realize at the time was that the mistake would make them an overnight sensation, define a fashion trend, and have a song like “Baby Got Back” brand the 90s.
The song started off local, until one person heard it and it got on the radio. People started to dance when they heard it. The powerful vocals of Creo-D were catchy and sweeping the nation. It wasn’t long before it went national when they were picked up by MTV and VH1. Those stations took that song and made it a household item. Before you knew it, women all over the US were “kickin’ them Dazzey Duks,” a trend that was made popular by Daisy Dukes of the hit show, Dukes of Hazzard in the mid 70s to early 80s. The song even had its own dance. You would ball your fists up, put them together, stick your elbows out and crouch down flexing that booty, exposing those Dazzey Duks while you swing from side to side.
Today one of the greatest compliments Creo-D gets is when someone recognizes him and starts to do that dance for him.
The song was a hit for many many years, but started to take a back seat to the new sound of hip hop defined by “Death Row Records” and the “gangsta rap” sound. It had the same beat and feel but slowed down the tempo, and had a much different story to tell. That trend eventually drowned the early hip hop sound, making it “old skool.” Nevertheless, even today when you hear those songs you are instantly brought back to a time when things were fun; memories flow freely and maybe a tear comes to your eye. You will start to dance and you won’t know why, but you realize you can’t stop. That was the magic of early hip hop.
Now, when you talk about the magic of the early 90s and those “Old Skool” sounds you loved growing up with, Dazzey Duks is among the names thrown out with artists such as: MC Hammer, Vanilla Ice, Naughty By Nature, Criss Cross, Kid N’ Play, Will Smith and other names that defined the generation.
So why bring up Dazzey Duks again? Well, the song has been in seclusion long enough, and Creo-D has decided to remake the famous song, but with a new hip hop sound. The new song is titled, “Rock Dem Dazzeys.” It’s nothing like the original. It has the same lyrics and the same famous line “Come on baby, kick them dazzeys…,” but it boasts a techno, hip hop, R& B sound. They even added a female vocal sung by Valencia, and of course, La Sno with Creo-D. Creo-D hopes that the fans of the original will love and embrace the new sound just as they did before. Hearing the song I have to admit, I’m a fan. It’s Dazzey Duks all grown up. That’s what makes artists like Duice timeless, because they are able to take a song and mold it to fit the current craze. Duice has also decided to rename the group, or not rename it, but fix the spelling to Dewce.
The song is about to be released in February, but is set to do so along with another milestone for the group which hasn’t been leaked out to any press yet except for us. Creo-D has his own reality television series coming out based around his famous song called America in Dazzey Duks. The series will be based on women’s personalities, their ability to put outfits together and their creativity. The ladies on this show will be put on a campus. They will go into their rooms and on their bed will be a pair of jeans, and anything else they need to make their own Dazzey Duks. They will have three hours to complete them. Then they will be judged by “kickin’ their Dazzey Duks” and displaying them properly by dancing and showing off their personalities. And, of course, like any reality show there will be a winner.
Looking back, it’s amazing how this song has evolved to a new rendition to a reality series almost 17 years later. It’s also amazing how it shaped a generation, created a dance craze, and forever stands as one of the most prolific songs of the 90s. Duice – Creo-D and La Snow are masters of their genre, and can still make us “kick dem Dazzeys.”
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