TBTBT

Too Bad to Be True
Origin	Toronto, Ontario
Genres	Canadian hip hop
Years active	1990–1995
Past members	Jeromy "Lyric J" Robinson Shaka "DJ Shaka" Dodd Al "Al C" Cox Frankie "MC Styles" Scarcelli

Too Bad to Be True, or TBTBT, was a Canadian hip hop group, based in Toronto, Ontario, active in the 1990s.[1] They were best known for their 1993 album One Track Mind, which won the Juno Award for Rap Recording of the Year at the 1994 Juno Awards.[2] The group consisted of teenagers Jeromy "Lyric J" Robinson, Shaka "DJ Shaka" Dodd, Al "Al C" Cox, and Frankie "MC Styles" Scarcelli.[1]

History

TBTBT began writing and recording raps in 1992 when they were still in school. They took part in Toronto's annual Stay Clear anti-drug campaign pop contest.[3] In 1993 the trio released the album One Track Mind on ISBA Records in Canada and Cold Chillin’/Warner Bros. Records internationally.[4][5]

The group received significant video airplay on MuchMusic for the album's title track,[4] but consistent with the commercial struggles faced by Canadian hip hop at the time, received almost no commercial radio airplay in Canada outside of the Toronto, Vancouver, and Montreal markets.[4][6]

In 1994 the group released a second single, "Get Down to It", from their album.[7] The track appeared on the RPM Canadian Content chart for six weeks in April and May that year.[8]

Legacy

Both of TBTBT member Jeromy Robison's sons have pursued a career in rap under the stage names of Casper TNG and K Money.[9]

Discography

Album

• One Track Mind (1993)

Singles

• "One Track Mind"
• "Get Down To It"

References

1. Canadian Composer, Volume 4. SOCAN, 1993.
2. "Juno Awards Celebrate Canada's Cultural Roots". Billboard, April 2, 1994.
3. "More music notes". Medicine Hat News, Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada. March 31, 1994, page 32.
4. Larry LeBlanc (12 November 1994). "Major Rappers Rebound on Canadian Label". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. pp. 45–. ISSN 0006-2510.
5. Kathy Kastner. "Teen rappers take ambition from Toronto to the charts". Lethbridge Herald, September 4, 1994, page 6. Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada.
6. "Can hip hop be a sustainable career for Canadian rappers?". The Buzz, CBC News, April 19, 2013, Peter Marrack
7. Larry Flick, ed. (16 April 1994). "Single Review". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. pp. 63–. ISSN 0006-2510.
8. "RPM CanCon to Watch". RPM Magazine, Apr 18, 1994
9. "CASPER TNG - THE NEIGHBOURHOOD GHOST : ARTIST BIO". caspertng.com. Retrieved 2020-01-15.