Young MC - Principal's Office

1989 was Young MC's year.  He co-wrote the two major hits for Tone Lōc's smash LP Lōc-ed After Dark, which went to #1.  The two hits both broke the top 5, with "Wild Thing" reaching #2 and "Funky Cold Medina" hitting #3.  Young MC then released his first album, Stone Cold Rhymin'.  That album peaked at #9, and produced two additional top 40 hits -- "Bust a Move" (#7) and "Principal's Office" (#33).  Incredibly, Young MC never had another top 40 hit.

Young MC (Marvin Young) was born in England, but his family moved to Queens, NYC when he was eight.    While he was at college at USC, he joined Delicious Vinyl, which led to the success with Lōc-ed After Dark and Stone Cold Rhymin'.  However, he left the label after his first LP, due to a series of creative and legal disputes and eventually signed with Capital Records.  His subsequent releases did not catch on, with 1991's Brainstorm being the only subsequent album to chart (it hit #66).  While his later material was solid, it remained a bit stylized  and changes in the hip hop scene pushed him out of the limelight.  In recent years, Young MC has acted and appeared on a few celebrity-themed reality shows.  He continues to write and record, as well.

For the blog, we decided to go with "Principal's Office," as it is the rarer hit, and that's what the blog is all about.  The song relies on a cool old Lee Michaels riff from "Who Could Want More."  By the by, Lee Michaels is best known for his 1971 hit "Do You Know What I Mean?"  The video itself is full of superb 1989 fashion goodness, right down to the acid wash jeans.