The 187 Squad Story
by Dickie Sweetnutz
Today the 187 Squad is the biggest hip hop crew in the world, selling more albums than major labels do with their whole roster. It may seem like it was an easy rise to the top for the incredibly talented trio, but there were many differnet trying times that went in to making the best rap group of all time.
Back in 1993, Aceop and D-Sweet (then known as Mike Fettucinni and Dr. Tre, respectively) met as sophomores at Desert Christian High School. Both were burgeoning talents trying to build up their reputation. They started working together, doing songs and homemade recordings. Along with fellow sophomore Flash Barley they formed the group W.W.A. (Wiggaz With Attitudes). Labels like Sony and Geffen saw the talent right away, starting a bidding war to sign the group. Eventually they were signed by Columbia.
The first order of business was recording their album. After putting down three songs, they decided to release their first single, entitled "Nuthin' But a Hank Thang." The song was a hit. The young group celebrated...perhaps too much.
Heads started swelling after their initial success, and things started going wrong. Due to irreconcilable creative differences and various drug, alcohol and sex addictions, the group disbanded in June of '94, leaving several tracks unreleased and millions of fans disappointed. Mike Fettucinni moved to Pasadena for the summer, and Dr. Tre and Flash got regular jobs. It appeared they were just three more victims of the record industry, another one-hit wonder.
After nearly a year away from the scene, Dr. Tre changed his name to Treykwon and was recruited into the group BCGz by Tha Kidd and Tim Dogg. In March of that year they rocked a huge crowd in the DC Tommy Dome in front of thousands of industry giants. Little known DJ Bruce G (known world-wide today as Jimmy Fresh) nearly stole the show that night, giving his career a lift off. Although not a member of the group, Bruce was supposed to have an important role on the BCGz album. It appeared that this group was truly destined for greatness.
Although very talented, the BCGz could never connect to make an album. Tim Dogg left the group to make a family, and the rest of the crew also went their separate ways. Treykwon was now 0-for-2.
Near the end of '95, Tha Kidd, Treykwon and DJ Bruce G rejoined to form the K.I.N.G.z. The crew enjoyed much success, rocking shows all over the world. They held off album plans so that they could gain the audience's trust again. Bruce entered DJ competitions in the meantime, winning everywhere he went. Momentum was building.
In the meantime, Fettucini was rebuilding his own career. He formed the group BD4, made up of himself (changing his name to Tate Dogg), former WWA mate Flash Barley, former BCGz member Tim Dogg, and L-Dogg. BD4 made a lot of noise and had full album plans. Signed to Interscope (the same label as the K.I.N.G.z), things were looking up. Then something miraculous happened.
During a fateful flight to New York City from LA, Treykwon and Tate were seated next to eachother. At first there was a lot of tension, and the rest of the passengers sat in fright, knowing that the two were strapped and bullets could start flying at any moment. But then it happened: the two made amends, and even spoke about collaborating with eachother's crews to do a song to promote both of their albums.
Soon after that, the best selling single in history at that date was released: "Coachella Valley Love." Propelled by a live performance at the Hollywood Athletic Club in honor of the birthday of a former groupie of both Treykwon and Tate, the song became an instant hit. Featuring rhymes by Treykwon, Tate, Flash, The Kidd, Bruce G (his first lyrical performance) and Tim Dogg, with cuts by Bruce G, the single got play on every station in America. Even Classical and Country stations had to pay attention.
"Coachella Valley Love" was meant to appear on both the debut K.I.N.G.z and BD4 albums. That's when members of both crews became disgruntled. It was painfully obvious to everyone involved, as well as everyone who heard the song, that certain members performed much better than others. Seeing that some were carrying larger loads than others, Tate, Bruce, Treykwon and Tim Dogg made a fateful decision that would be clouded in controversy for years to come. In May of '96 they all left their groups, as well as their labels to form one supergroup: The 187 SQUAD.
The forming of the 187 Squad also meant the forming of a new, independent label: Valley Bomb Productionz. The label was headed by Michael Young, aka Ruckus tha DN, who would executive produce and manage the group. The members of the Squad were about to learn another industry lesson, as Young made himself an integral part of the Squad. His plan was to milk the crew for all they were worth, steal the spotlight and tear the rest apart from the inside-out. And it nearly worked.
Almost as quickly as it formed, the Squad lost a member. Tim Dogg left the group in June of '96, forced out by Young and his overbearing style. The rest of the crew were tricked into believing that it was for the best and moved forward.
In November of the same year, the 187 Squad released their first single, "Ode to the Dead," a song dissing Treykwon and Bruce's former bandmate, Tha Kidd (he died by self-induced drowning during an Ensenada cruise). The single sold more than "Coachella Valley Love" did, making it the biggest single in history. The group went on tour, rocking crowds all over the world. It was at this time that Ruckus began putting his plans to action.
Ruckus' plan was complex and took on several missions. One of the first was changing the group's image. The Squad had earned household-name status with hardcore rhymes and lifestyles. Ruckus wanted to re-arrange the situation. The first change was the name of the group: From the 187 Squad to Ruckus and the Boyz. Aceop (who had changed his name to Ace by this time) and Treykwon were against the idea, but with the support of Bruce G the change was made. Little did Bruce know that he was just Ruckus' pawn, and Ruck would never show appreciation for this help.
Ruckus also had the crew wearing Tommy Hilfiger, Nautica and Timberland. Some were beginning to question if Ruckus and the Boyz were "keeping it real." The Boyz were probably thinking the same thing.
During the inner-turmoil, things got especially bad for Treykwon. Like Tim Dogg before him, Treykwon was kicked out of the group in April of '97 after a spat with Ruckus. Bruce and Ace were confused, not knowing whether to side with Ruckus or Treykwon. Ruckus' plan was to divide the group until only he and Ace remained, forming a group called ARMD., or Ace & Ruckus Makin' Dollaz. All Ruckus had to do at this point was drive Ace and Bruce apart.
The band continued on without a real decision about ARMD. The temporary solution was to have both groups exist, which did not sit well with Bruce. Treykwon was allowed back into the Boyz in the summer of '97, but he was also opposed to the idea of ARMD. Ruckus felt threatened by Treykwon because he had much better skillz. Ruckus feared that ARMD. would never materialize with Treykwon as an equal in Ruckus and the Boyz. To keep Treykwon in a floormat position in the group, and also to get Ace to join (Ace would not leave both Bruce and Treykwon behind), Ruckus extended an invitation for Bruce to join ARMD also. He could DJ but not be a part of the name. This would have created a true class system within Ruckus & the Boyz: Ruckus on top making decisions, Ace underneath him but a chief advisor, Bruce in the group but in a very low-ranking role, and then Treykwon by himself as the only Boy not in ARMD. If he could pull it off, Ruckus planned to completely destroy the old Ruckus & the Boyz group, with Trey ousted from any affiliations. Bruce would likely have been next to go, replaced by some much less talented DJ. While all the organizational talks were going on, nothing got accomplished musically.
Finally, a year later in the summer of '98, things came to a resolve. Ace and Bruce had given up on the idea of ARMD and joined a silent alliance with Treykwon. Soon, on a fateful day in July, Bruce and Ruckus finally came in direct opposition. After a heated arguement, Bruce told Ruckus that "the Boyz" had no love for him and wanted to cut all ties to him. Furious, Ruckus left the studio. A few moments later he rushed back in with fists flying. After Ruck missed with a right and left hook, Bruce smacked him in the head with a baseball bat. Ace got up from where he was sitting and threw Ruckus to the ground. Together they beat Ruckus to a bloody pulp, murdering him. Trey came home from a trip to Atlanta to hear the news, and the crew celebrated their newfound freedom. No charges were ever filed against them. The world hated Ruckus and everything he had made the former 187 Squad.
No one really expected a comeback from the Boyz after the death of Ruckus. Most thought that they would just be content and live normal lives. The masses turned out to be very wrong.
Much to the delight of the entire world, D-Sweet (who came to this name after Ruckus' death), Ace and Bruce came out with a surprise single as the 187 Squad. The song was called "For the Sake of the Boyz (Ode II)," a sequel to the first "Ode." The subject this time was Ruckus. This is exactly what the public wanted to hear: a 187 Squad reunion dissing Ruckus. The song became an instant classic, and, like each song they had put out before that one, broke all sales records. Soon after the release Bruce changed his name to Mic Movado, and then to Jimmy Fresh aka the Model Jaques Couteau. He wanted a fresh start on his emceeing career, hence the name "Fresh." Ace also extended his name to Aceop.
The 187 Squad was now here to stay. In May of '99 Ace sat down with D-Sweet to record Aceop's solo EP, Aceop's Fablez. The first single, "Layin' Pipe," became the summer anthem of '99. Ace's songs were to be part of the upcoming album that has been seven years in the making...the 187 Squad's Simply the Best. With 15 songs on deck, you can count on the most highly anticipated album of all time to break every record in existance, even beating out total net profits from movies like "Titanic" and "Star Wars." Stay tuned and watch the 187 Squad get the glory.
