Spoonie Gee

A member of Treacherous Three, one of the original hip-hop crews, Kool Moe Dee later became a solo star in his own right by teaming with a teenaged Teddy Riley (later famed as the king of new jack swing) on the crossover hit Go See the Doctor. The single earned him a contract with Jive Records, for which he recorded three successful albums, dominated by his skillful speed-raps. A long-running feud with LL Cool J -- who stole his aggressive stance and rapping style, he claims -- gained Kool Moe Dee headlines. With 1987's How Ya Like Me Now, Dee struck back at the brash young generation who had forsaken their forebears. The cover featured a red Kangol hat -- the prominent trademark of LL Cool J -- being crushed by the wheel of a Jeep. The album went platinum and was followed two years later by the gold-certified Knowledge Is King, for which Dee became the first rapper to perform at the Grammy Awards ceremonies. Also in 1989, Dee worked on two important projects: the single Self-Destruction, recorded in conjunction with KRS-One's Stop the Violence Movement; and Quincy Jones' all-star Back on the Block LP, which united hip-hop stars with their musical forebears.